My Little Issue: Trapped in Equestria
by The King of Emerald
Summary: Sent to the world of Equestria and forced into a body of great power, a brony must find a way back to his own home, all the while living the episodes he had seen with inevitable changes. Was once called My Little Problem. DISCONTINUED, BEING REDONE.
1. My Little Problem

… **I'm probably going to hate myself for this…**

**Yes, I am a brony. Yes, I do have a favorite pony. No, I won't tell you right now. And yes, this is yet another someone goes to Equestria story, but fortunately, not a human. You'll see, my friends.**

XxXxX

"Ow… what happened?"

I groaned as I slowly began to open my eyes, immediately regretting it. The sunshine was bright, way too bright. _Seriously, how can something so far away be so bright?_ I slowly opened them again, but this time they stayed open. I then realized that I was no longer in my queen sized bed with black comforter, and I was most certainly not resting my head on a soft stack of flannel-covered pillows. Instead, I felt the breeze blow the grass I was laying on, and the shadows of the trees were dancing thanks to that same wind. It looked familiar, but I didn't know where I had seen such tall, dark trees before.

"Ugh… what happened?" I asked myself again. "I shouldn't be out here in the middle of the forest… what kind of shit did my brother drug me with?" I immediately pushed myself off of the ground, and began to stand on my legs… only to feel them buckle under stress and I crashed face-first into the ground. "Ow… this is very uncomfortable." I began to get back up but suddenly there was a tug on my forehead, and I couldn't move. "Seriously? I'm stuck? That's just… how am I stuck? How is my _forehead stuck_ to the _**ground**_?" At this point I was freaking out, because it should be impossible for me. I tugged again, and eventually popped out of the ground, landing on my back this time. "Enough with the falling already!"

It was then I felt something hitting my ass. It felt so… light and feathery. Like someone's long hair. I leaned forward a bit to get a look at what was technically molesting me.

Only instead to find that my body was now the shade of an emerald, and my feet were replaced by hooves.

"WHAT?" I asked in a high pitch voice, sounding much like David Tennant did when he played the Doctor. I just repeated that word over and over again, checking myself all over. Now I was certain I was going crazy. I was also sure that I wasn't dreaming because I specifically remember having a dream the ni-

Wait… how did that dream go again?

Xx Flash X Back xX

My eyes may have been open, but it was so dark I couldn't see my fingers in front of my face. I could feel the cool air hitting my face, and my legs, and despited the fact I was completely nude, I felt… at peace. Like there was no problem now that I was here.

_Do you want a new life?_

Did I? I don't remember… what life are we talking about again?

_A life where your friends abandon you for the simplest mistakes. A world where you must watch your words around your parents in fear that either might start insulting the other. A place where no matter how hard you try, when you screw up, you're never given a second chance. A home that isn't a home. Is that what you want?_

How did this voice know of my life? Sure I angst a bit to my friends, but this voice I'm sure I never talked to before. This voice was certainly familiar, but I couldn't place my finger on where I heard it before.

_I'm offering you a chance to start over, kind soul. You don't deserve the pain and agony your home gives you, the abandonment your friends force you to feel. I'm offering you a new life, in a new world, one that isn't as harsh as yours. Are you willing to go?_

There should have been many reasons that stopped me from saying yes. Yeah, my friends did make me feel like I was abandoned, but given time, they always come back. My family may be broken, an unhappy, but still my parents loved me, with all their hearts. Yeah, I screw up, and some people don't give me a second chance, but it was their fault for passing me up. However, the voice is so soothing, and I've had an especially rough day today. I can't help but nod yes.

_Then we will meet soon, my little friend. Enjoy your new life, Emerald._

Xx Present X Time xX

So THAT'S what caused me to be here, stuck in this new body that was unfamiliar. I was dreading what I had become, but I knew I had to check it out sooner or later. I looked around and spotted a small pool of water, just the perfect size for a mirror. On shaky legs… or maybe I should say hooves? No, legs are still legs. It's feet that are hooves now. Ugh, this is gonna be difficult for me to talk here. Anyway, I managed to eventually walk over to the puddle and look at myself.

I gotta admit, I look good.

Looking back at me was definitely a pony. Or more specifically a green unicorn. I had a black mane that seemed to match my old, curly hairstyle perfectly, with it parting down the middle before puffing up, similar to Hoop from the earlier episode. God damn, why did I have to end up in freaking Equestria of all places? Yeah, I loved the show and song and stuff, but couldn't I have been brought to another place?

I inspected myself more, and discovered a few things. One, I also have a cutie mark in the shape of an eighth note. What the heck was that doing on my ass - err, flank? Yeah, I liked to sing, but I wouldn't really consider that my special talent…

Next I discovered were my wings. So, I was definitely an alicorn. This feels like a bad fanfic from my home… anyway, unlike normal pegasi wings, these were more bat-like than anything else. And they had black webbing between the green fingers that kept them in place. Yes, I called them fingers, because they are technically, although they're a lot more limited in what they could do compared to my normal human hands.

Unfortunately, if I'm gonna fit in here until it's time for me to go home, I'll need to hide them. Alicorns aren't very common here in Equestria, and I'll attract way too much attention. I folded them up, then began to think of a way to hide them. I imagined some sort of magic that could cast an illusion on them, making them look like the rest of my body. But how could I do that? The only two ponies I could think of that could do anything like that would be Celestia herself, or her student Twilight Sparkle.

It was then I noticed my wings were gone. Actually, they weren't because I could feel them folded against my side, and I was guessing anyone who touched my apparently blank ribs would as well. I must've done that by accident, since I don't exactly understand how pony magic works here. I shrugged though. No need to look a gift horse - err, pony in the mouth. Ugh, these phrases will be the death of me.

"Now", I said to myself, secretly relieved that my voice was the same, "what should I do? I'm obviously in the Everfree Forest… and while it's not as bad as some ponies believe, I should still get out of here. I have two options… either find Zacora and have her help me get out of here… or just try to find my way out of here myself." After a few minutes of pondering, I finally decided to just find my way out myself. If I ran into Zacora, that would be fantastic, but I might as well should just keep trying to get out. If I keep heading straight, I should eventually be out of here.

XxXxX

I hate forests.

I tripped thanks to my new forelegs, I rolled down a few deep ditches and covered myself with dirt and mud, then got my horn tangled in about five different kinds of plants. Ugh… this had better be worth it. So far, this supposed "new life" wasn't a whole lot better than what I had. I never got stuck in a freaking tree thanks to an extra appendage, after all…

Finally, I reached the edge, and immediately recognized where I was. This was the path the rhyming zebra used to walk to Ponyville every now and then. Now I should focus on getting to the town… after cleaning myself off, anyway. Where's that spa that the ponies frequented?

Immediately, I shook my head. That won't work. First, I have no way of paying. Two, I may look like a pony, but I'm a few inches taller than them. Not quite the height of Celestia… maybe about Luna sized. That was part of how I kept getting stuck. They're more likely to be afraid of me thanks to my size than they'll be willing to help me. Besides, I don't even know where in the timeline I'm in. Am I at the beginning? Beyond what I know? In the middle of it? It's all so odd… Then I realize that I have to avoid the mane six as much as possible. If I interfere, it could change the whole story.

"Fan-bucking-tastic", I mutter to myself. "Now, to get a home of my own… and some money. Crud… this is gonna be harder than I thought…" I began trotting along, not exactly in a hurry, but still wanting to find a place to clean myself. I just hoped I didn't run into any of the mane characters… that would probably screw me over. I was so busy looking around to make sure I wasn't gonna run into any of them that I didn't pay attention to what was going on in front of me.

**CRASH!**

Apparently, neither did the other person, because next thing I knew was that I saw a pair of grey legs dangling in front of my eyes. "Um… I sure hope I didn't accidentally gore someone…"

"Nah, it's okay!" said a familiar voice. "I crash all the time! I shoulda been watching where I was going!" I slowly stood up and snatched the tail that was hanging off of my left shoulder, tugging the poor pony that ended up on me safely to the ground. Once I got a good look at her, I was so surprised that the name just slipped out.

"Ditzy Doo?"

Indeed, the pegasus in question was standing in front of me. Her flank showed off her bubble cutie mark, and her crossed eyes were wide in surprise. But soon, a smile formed on her face, and she giggled. "Haven't heard that name in a while. Most ponies call me Derpy nowadays."

At that, I frowned. I remembered that Rainbow Dash called her that, but I didn't think that everyone else did the same. "That's kinda mean, don't you think?"

"Ya get used to it." She then looked at me with those crossed eyes, studying me for a moment. I began getting very nervous, wondering why she was so intent on observing me. Finally, she turned and reached into her mailbag, and to my surprise (not entirely), she pulled out a muffin and offered it to me. Hesitantly, I reached out with my magic, and levitated it, seeing the muffin encased with a green aura. I brought it to my mouth, and chomped into it, tasting it. "Blueberry… my favorite!" I said, smiling. "How did you guess?"

"Just lucky I guess", she said, shrugging. She then nudged my shoulder with her wing. "Come on. You need a place to stay, right?"

That surprised me, yet again. "Um… you don't even now my name yet."

"So? You're new here, and you're obviously trying to avoid Pinkie. Lucky for you she hasn't noticed you next. She's busy setting up a party for the other new pony in town."

So that answers the question of what part of the timeline I was in. Ugh, this was gonna be difficult. I had to avoid them for Celestia knows how long. I groaned a bit, and with not much other option, I followed her back to her home. What the hell did this pegasus know, anyway? Ponies may be kind, but they don't invite people into their homes in the first few minutes that they met.

Something was going on, and I needed to figure out what


	2. Meeting Some New Friends

Ditzy's home was a lot larger than he expected. Then again, we never did see where most people live, besides the mane six, so I shouldn't have been surprised. I looked around, admiring the wooden furniture and wondering what kind of pony would figure out that carpentry is their special talent. Eventually she led me into the kitchen, and ordered me to sit. Which took a moment; my legs were a good amount longer than hers, and I wasn't completely used to them yet, so I had to focus on bending them right so I didn't look completely ridiculous for sitting like this.

Soon, the mail-mare joined me at the table, a muffin of her own. After she nibbled on it a bit, she turned to me and gave me a contagious smile that I soon wore on my face. "So, where are you from?"

"Well", I began, looking at my horn and scratching my mane. "I came from Fillydelphia. I used to be an entertainer there. Nothing big time, though, not a lot of people knew my name. I ended up leaving to try to see if I can find some slower pace place for me to live in. Not being surrounded by some popular names."

As I spoke, Ditzy nodded, looking at me with interest… or confusion. I can't tell since her eyes are crossed. Eventually she interrupted my story, and shook her head, smiling. "You don't have to lie to me, Mr. Hutton. I already know who you are. Although you do have a really good backup story." My shocked, horrified face must have been pretty funny looking, because she began giggling. "Surprised? Don't you remember that according to those fanfics, I know more than I let on?"

I felt my cheeks flush in embarrassment. That was true, most of the time Ditzy seemed to have a special kind of sight that allowed her to see things most ponies ignore or try to hide. Or at least, that was what the fan base seemed to believe. It was interesting to learn that this part of the fan base was true. Maybe it was from the intense stare she had given me before she invited me to her home? "So… do you know how I got here?"

At this, she frowned for the first time, and something about it… unnerved me. "Nope. I'm sorry, but I don't know how magic works. And besides, I'm just a pegasus that sees the world differently. Doesn't mean that I understand how it ticks."

I slumped, whimpering a teeny bit. "And here I thought I was getting out of here…"

Ditzy patted my mane reassuringly, making sure to avoid my horn. "It's okay. Now, if you're gonna stay here, you're gonna need a proper name. No matter how much you wanna avoid her, you're gonna run into Pinkie Pie sooner or later, and then the whole town will know you're here."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" I asked, sighing. "Here I am in an awesome world that I dreamed of, and you're telling me nothing I do will prevent the story from changing."

That comment made her put her hoof to her chin. "Maybe you should think of it like this; whatever brought you here put you in at this point for a purpose. Maybe you're supposed to run into them?"

That piqued my interest. "I am?" I scratched my chin next (albeit with some difficulty, since I didn't have fingers anymore… I'm really gonna miss those buggers.) "Maybe I should just… act like I usually do?"

This made Ditzy smile again, with her lopsided grin. It was rather comical, with her eyes crossed like that. "I wish you luck… but before you go, what's your name?"

Of course, she meant the name that I was supposed to pic for myself, seeing as she already knew my useless human name. I thought for a moment, before I looked at my rump again, spotting that eighth note cutie mark once more. I smiled, and looked back at her. "Emerald Elegy."

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Elegy", she said. "I wish I could let you stay, but unfortunately, I live with my daughter, Dinky, and… well…"

"No problem, Miss Doo", I said, standing up. "I better get going. I need to find some work before I do anything else… I think it's off to Sweet Apple Acres for me."

She smiled, and quickly gave me a second muffin, this one chocolate chip. "For good luck", she told me, before she escorted me to the door. We said our farewells, and like that, I was munching on a delicious muffin, heading out to the town of Ponyville once more.

XxXxX

It took me a minute, but soon I found the path to Sweet Apple Acres. And everyone would have laughed at my amazed expression. This place had way more trees than I'd ever seen before! I had never been to an apple orchard, and if this was any indications, as soon as I get home, I definitely plan to make more trips out into the country.

When I got up there, I saw all the ponies working in the field. Obviously, either Twilight already arrived, or hadn't yet. Judging by the size of Granny Smith's Belly, though, I'd have to say that they already had lunch and Twilight was no doubt either on her way to meet Rainbow Dash or getting her mane fixed by Rarity. Applejack was helping clean up the table that Twilight had eaten at when I managed to step on the only stick in the middle of my path. Her head shot up faster than a dog hearing his owner call his name, and immediately her green eyes made contact with my yellow ones. "Another 'un?" she said, obviously surprised. "We seem to be gettin' a lot of new ponies around here." She smiled as she walked over here. "So, what's yer name, stranger?"

"Emerald Elegy", I replied, bowing my head a bit. "I'm assuming that I'm at Sweet Apple Acres then, since there are so many beautiful apple trees?"

At least she was modest, as she blushed and kicked the dirt with her right fore-hoof, a small smile on her face. "Shucks, it ain't that impressive."

"Of course it is!" I said, smiling. "I've never seen so many apple trees in one spot! But…" At this, I looked at her, concerned. "Isn't it kinda hard, bucking all these apples?"

She shook her head, to my surprise (and disappointment), smiling. "Naw, we got Big Macintosh", she said, pointing at the red stallion. "He's stronger than ten stallions, and can buck a good chunk every day. As long as he's healthy, we'll be just fine." She then seemed to realize something, and giggled sheepishly. "I almost forgot! My name's Applejack. I'm the owner around here. So what brings you to Sweet Apple Acres?"

I look at the ground. It was my turn to kick the dirt, looking a little depressed. "I WAS going to ask if I could have a job here, but by the sound of it, you don't need anyone."

"Oh", she replied, looking a bit upset. "Well… I'm sorry, Mr. Elegy. But we got all the help we need. I'm sure you're a hard worker, but… Sweet Apple Acres is a family business. I can't give you a job here."

I sighed. Well, there goes that idea. Then again, I shouldn't be surprised. I never saw anyone ever work here in the show that wasn't a member of her family, not counting the episode that the rest of the mane six helped her with. So, why should I assume that the orchard hires outside workers? "It's okay, Miss Applejack", I said, smiling a bit sheepishly. "It was rude of me to assume that I could get a job here." I bowed my head. "I'd best get back to Ponyville and find someone else who can get me a job. I need a place to stay too…"

"You do?" she said, surprised. "Wow, you must be BRAND new if you don't got a place to rest your rump. Y'know, you can stay here if ya like."

I shook my head, smiling. "Thank you, but I can't. If I'm not gonna work here, then I shouldn't take advantage of your generosity and take a bed that I didn't earn. If I can't find a place to stay before tomorrow night, then I'll be back to see if your offer is still open." I started to trot back to Ponyville, not intending to return the next day. "See you at the Summer Sun Celebration, Miss Applejack!"

As I headed away, I sighed, once I was certain the Element of Honesty wasn't near. I really did want to stay in the barn, since it was such a generous offer after meeting me five minutes ago. But first, it was a cliche I had seen way too many times in some stories, and I couldn't bring myself to it. Plus, my damn pride got in my way, and I wouldn't let myself do it without earning my place, as I said before.

… did I call her Miss Applejack?

XxXxX

So, on to my next location, the Carousel Boutique. I was hoping to run into Twilight Sparkle, since she may be the only one besides Celestia herself that might have an idea of what happened to me. Of course, I was caught up by Rarity, who was determined to find me an outfit that would match my natural color of emerald green (all the while being insulted for having such an ugly birth color. "Not that there's anything wrong with that!" she says…)

Finally, I stormed out, unable to take so many poorly concealed insults at once, and grumbled angrily. I understand that she was being generous and offering to make me some new clothes to wear, but still, green is my favorite color. And plus, it's the color I am now, so I can't help but be angry. The sun had set at this point, so it meant that Pinkie Pie's party for Twilight most likely had begun. And I definitely didn't want to run into that pink hyperactive pony, so instead, I headed for the pavilion, where Night Mare Moon was bound to return. I sat far away from the actual structure, unwilling to look at it. I already knew how it would play out.

"Hey, stranger", I heard a voice say, and turned to see Ditzy nearby, smiling at me with her eyes crossed. "So, how did it go at Sweet Apple Acres?"

"I can't work there because I'm not a member of the family", I replied, sighing. "Again, I'd probably be allowed to volunteer, but I can't work for money."

"Aw, that's too bad", she said, sitting down next to me. "So, who're you gonna ask next?"

"Definitely not Rarity", I grounded out, talking with clenched teeth. "I understand she doesn't like the color green, but still, she didn't have to insult it so much." I then thought some more, and groaned. "I can't work at Sugar Cube Corner… Pinkie would drive me crazy with her randomness and singing… Her songs may be catchy, but her voice… ugh…"

"Well, looks like you're hard-pressed for a job", Ditsy said, putting a hoof to her chin. "And only pegasi can be mail-ponies, so I can't help you out there… Ooh! I got it! Why don't you ask Fluttershy? I'm sure she could use some help with all of those rowdy pets she has to watch over."

At that, I immediately felt my face flush. Fluttershy was one of my favorite ponies when I was human… and to be honest, I think I'd try to avoid her so I wouldn't end up scaring her or insulting her by accident. I tended to say the wrong thing at the wrong time, so it was something I wasn't so sure of. But I didn't have much of a choice at the moment; I didn't know what else I could do. I didn't even know my special talent was (although judging from my cutie mark, had something to do with music).

I shook off the feeling of my face blushing and conversed with Ditsy Doo. As we spoke, we barely noticed the pavilion being filled with ponies of all kinds until the Mayor went to the stage and began the festival. While everyone else was distracted, I took the moment to sneak out. There was no point in staying here since I knew what was going to happen.

As soon as I was outside, I heard that chilling laugh, and immediately took off in a gallop toward the library. Canon or not, I needed to do something about it. I was here now, and I should help however I can.

I needed to help end Night Mare Moon's eternal night


	3. Everfree Forest

"Elements… elements… elements… ugh, where is that book?"

It hadn't taken much to sneak into the library. No doubt Spike was already asleep, being a baby dragon. I know I had told myself not to interfere with the story, but how much had changed with my insertion at this exact point in time? After all, something must have put me here for a reason. Maybe I was supposed to change the story? But why? What's so wrong with this one?

Ugh, I'm over thinking this. I might as well help if I can; I'm going to be stuck here for who knows how long. Might as well should do what I could to help, right? And that meant helping stop Nightmare Moon from stopping the sun from ever again. Now where was that darn book?

"Hey! What are you doing here?"

Ah crap. I must have taken longer than I thought, because next thing I knew, I had to turn around and face the purple unicorn herself, Twilight Sparkle. I grumbled angrily to myself, then thought a quick story. "Well, you saw that creepy alicorn out there!" I said, pretending not to know who it was. "I figured if there was anything that could help stop her from keeping the sun down, it would be in a book in the library!"

Obviously, she didn't believe me, as her horn glowed a bit. "Who are you, anyway? I don't remember seeing you around Ponyville at all today. And all of a sudden, you're interested in my library when Nightmare Moon escapes?"

At that I swallowed. "Okay, maybe that doesn't exactly look good… but trust me! I'm a good colt, okay? I'm trying to STOP Nightmare Moon!"

At that, she let her eyes widen a bit, and her horn stopped glowing. "You are? Oh thank goodness! I thought no one else believed in the Nightmare Moon curse! So, what did you learn?"

It was a rather sudden change, I had to admit, but time was of the essence, so I didn't have time to be surprised. I was about to say "Nothing" when Rainbow Dash confronted her. I couldn't help but watch as the Mane Six interacted with each other, pretty much ignoring me. At least, until it was about time for the book to be found, when a certain vane pony spotted me.

"Oh", she said, looking a little disgusted. "It's you."

"Rarity", I said, dryly. "Thinking of new ways to insult my natural color?"

"Oh, don't be so narcissistic", she said, gently tossing her mane. "It's not always about you, you know."

"What happened to the customer is right?" I growled, pawing the ground.

"Hold it!" Applejack said, stepping in front of me. "Ain't you the feller that asked me for a job today? What were you doin' at Carrousel Boutique?"

"Minding my own business", I said, growling a bit. "At least until she dragged me inside and attempted to find some way to 'hide' my 'disgusting' color!"

"I never!"

I huffed and turned around. "That's besides the point!" I growled. "I came here to find a way to stop that crazy pony that took our princess."

It was then I suddenly felt a gust of wind by my face, and all of a sudden, I was looking into the violet eyes of Rainbow Dash. "Hold it!" she said, growling a bit. "You're just as suspicious! At least all of us have met Twilight! Who ARE you, tall guy?"

At this, I growled a bit, and stepped forward. Were these ponies idiots? I just said I wanted to STOP Nightmare Moon! "My name is Emerald Elegy!" I said, using my height to intimidate her. Easily she cowed down, but only for a second as she stood at her own full height in an attempt to make me back off. "I'm a newcomer to Ponyville, and I want Princess Celestia to come back just as much as you do, Rainbow Dash!"

"Oh really? If you're new to Ponyville, then how do you know my name?"

At that, I had to think of something new, and quickly came up with a decision. "Ditzy Doo was the first to welcome me to Ponyville. She told me a bit about all of you… except for you, that is", I said, pointing at the purple unicorn. "I'm assuming you're new as well?"

"Yeah… my name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm Princess Celestia's student", she said, introducing herself.

"Pleased to meet you", I said, bowing my head. I finally backed down, and ignored Rainbow Dash's smug grin. "Look, we could all just stay here and sit on our flanks and wait for something to happen… or we can find those Elements of Harmony that Twilight is looking for."

"The only problem is that I can't find any book that tells me anything about them!"

"Elements of Harmony; A Reference Guide", came the bubbly voice of Pinkie Pie. Twilight immediately dashed over, shoving Pinkie out of the way and staring in awe.

"How did you find it?" I asked, surprised. I didn't remember this part of that episode.

"It was under E", she sang, bouncing around the library. I then smacked my hoof to my head, groaning. How could I forget that corny little line?

"There are seven Elements of Harmony", a voice said, snapping me out of it. I didn't hear much of her next little bit, my head reeling. Seven? There were SEVEN elements? Crap, my being here has changed the story so much more than I thought! "… and Humility." So, that was my element. But that only confused me even more. Why would I be given the element of Humility? I didn't have any special talents. I was never really good at anything I did, and I never felt true pride for anything I did. I was the least humble because I had no gifts to include with the group!

Now I knew what was changed, it was only a matter of time before we headed for…

XxXxX

"… the Everfree Forest!"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. This reminded me of the most basic human fear of the unknown. I guess my world and the pony world isn't too much alike.

"Whee! Let's go!" Pinkie Pie said, about to take some steps forward when I stopped her by stepping on her fluffy tail. Ugh, this was gonna take a long time.

"Not so fast", Twilight said, stepping forward. "Look, I appreciate the offer, but I'd really rather do this on my own."

"No can do, sugarcube", Applejack shot back, starting to walk into the forest. "We sure ain't letting any friend of ours into that creepy place on their own." I noticed the purple unicorn flinch, and couldn't help but chuckle a bit. She really was a shut in. "We're stuck to you like caramel on a candy apple."

"Especially if there are candy apples in there!" I couldn't help but groan loudly, and Pinkie shot me a look. "What? Those things are good." She then trotted to catch up with the others, while Twilight and I were left in the back. She sighed, and slowly began walking, when I stepped by her.

"I'm guessing you don't get out much?" I asked, smiling at her. She shot me a surprised look, then sighed and nodded.

"No. I'm so busy with my studies and sending my reports to Princess Celestia that I don't really have time to myself. Not that I don't mind; I think it's fun to have all those books to myself."

"I wouldn't know", I replied. "The most I read are the occasional story, but mainly music."

"What kind of songs do you know?"

"All kinds, but my favorite are musical numbers." As we spoke, we caught up with the others, and I'm certain the others could hear me. "It's something I found interesting, and I've been singing them ever since I was a colt. Even as a foal, if my parents told me right."

The girls giggled a bit, and I couldn't help but blush and immediately clam up. Which immediately prompted Rainbow Dash to tease me for a few minutes until we got much deeper in the forest, when I finally noticed that it was getting to be very eerie. I guess it's a little scarier up close and personal…

"So, none of you have been in here before?" Twilight asked, a twinge of nervousness in her voice.

"Are you kidding? Heavens no! Just look at it! It's dreadful!" I rolled my eyes once again at Rarity, but she did have a point. The forest certainly had an ominous feel to it.

"And besides that, it just ain't natural", Applejack added. I suddenly realized what was happening, and quickly moved back. There wasn't any time to warn them, and they were too distracted by Rainbow attempting to scare them anyway. And just as soon as I was safe and out of the way, the cliff broke away, letting the flightless girls slide down while Fluttershy and the cyan pegasus raced down, attempting to save them. I watched, and slowly stepped onto the slope, allowing myself to slide down with ease. As soon as I reached the bottom, Applejack had already convinced Twilight to let go and was climbing down herself.

"Sorry, girls. I'm not used to carrying more than a bunny or two", I heard the calm voice of Fluttershy say, and couldn't help but smile. She still sounded cute, even to my new equine ears. Once I was on the ground, I immediately had a face full of blue as Rainbow Dash flew in front of me, glaring.

"And where were you?" she asked, a hint of a snarl on her face. "What were you doing while me and Fluttershy were saving everypony else?"

"It was just bad luck", I said, turning my muzzle up. "I had no idea that it was going to give away like that. And if I had known, I would have warned everyone… if you weren't so busy trying to scare their tails off." At that, she backed off, looking a little ashamed. I could tell, though, that she definitely didn't trust me. And judging by the other's, they weren't better off.

Whatever was going to be said next was cut off immediately by the sound of a roar, and I couldn't help but cower a bit. The manticore was certainly intimidating, and I could feel my knees shake as Rarity charged, dodging a strike from its right paw. Suddenly, my fear was gone, as I observed what was going on. Despite the fact that it was moving around easily, I could see it was favoring it's left forepaw, where the thorn was. I would have done something, but I'm not good with animals other than dogs, so I was kind of useless here. The most I could do was look at Fluttershy and silently beg for her to intervene. Of course, right on time, she did, stopping an all out attack from the other five mares. She then calmly walked over to the manticore and calmed it down enough to remove the thorn, earning a purr and a lick in thanks. The rest of us trotted by, not wanting to be nearby if the mythological beast decided it still didn't like us all that much.

"How did you know about the thorn?" I heard Twilight ask, and smiled at the shy pegasus' response.

"I didn't. Sometimes we all just need to be shown a little kindness."

XxXxX

I admit, it was definitely a little break from all the gloom hearing the girls laugh, but I was obviously not amused. I stood there, staring at them with a blank look as I sighed. The faces weren't that scary in the first place, so I was unaffected. Plus, the song was pointless, and not to mention annoying. Which Pinkie seemed to notice, because she seemed to glare at me a bit. Finally, as they finally calmed down, I decided to confront Pinkie. "What's your problem? You 'giggled at the ghosties'. Shouldn't you still be all smiles?"

"Why didn't you laugh?" she asked, looking suspicious.

"First, I wasn't even scared, so there was no reason for me to laugh. Second… I hate to say this, but I didn't like that song." I shook my head, feeling a little ashamed to say that to one of the Mane Six.

"Oh, and I suppose you're a lot better?" Rainbow said, sticking up for Pinkie. I rolled my eyes. "If you're so good, why don't you sing for us, Mountain Stallion?" she challenged.

"I don't think so", I said, immediately backing down. "Look, I'm sorry, okay?"

"What for? For not singing? I bet you can't even sing that well!"

At this point, I began ignoring her. The others, though, I couldn't help but notice. I'm sure they were thinking the same thing as me. I haven't really done much to help them in their quest, and there was a lot that I wasn't telling them. That I COULDN'T tell them.

I spaced out for a good long while, mainly ignoring everything while Rarity gave her tail to the poor Serpent that lost his beloved mustache. And I didn't pay attention when Rainbow Dash crossed to the other side of the foggy chasm, repairing the bridge. It was during this point I felt something tap my shoulder, and jumped, my eyes going wide as I gasped.

"Oh… I'm sorry… did I scare you?" a familiar voice asked, and when I turned, there was the yellow pegasi. I immediately swallowed nervously, since Fluttershy was the only one that I hadn't interacted with.

"N-no, sorry… I was just kinda spacing out there", I told her. "Is there something you wanted?"

"W-Well, I was just wondering… Mister Elegy, where did you come from? I mean, if you don't mind me asking…"

I couldn't help but blush at the adorable look on her face. "It's okay, I'll tell. Just call me Emerald, Miss Fluttershy", I told her, smiling. "I was born in Manehatten, and that's where I lived for a good portion of my life. I'm an actor."

"So, why do you guard yourself?" she asked, and immediately I stiffened. "Oh… I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

"N-No, it's okay", I say, smiling a bit. "It's just… I don't know all of you that well, so I don't think I should be telling everypony my back story yet." She seemed to accept that, and right on time too. Rainbow Dash was coming back, and it was time to get moving again. That was close, though… if she kept pushing, she'd have figure out there's more to me than usual… and that's not exactly something I want to give up yet.

Finally, the Castle of the Two Sisters came into view. Finally! I couldn't handle another minute of this freaking forest! It was just so stressful! Once this was all over, I was going to need a nice long nap.

"Halt!"

Oh god, why? Why would this happen now? As I groaned loudly, two opaque ponies appeared, looking very old and wearing brown cloaks with orange emblems on them. On the left, a pony with a handlebar mustache and a small, italicized b on his flank. The other had a shorter mustache, with a pound sign, and immediately I knew who they were.

"We are the musician brothers! Flat…" began the one on the left.

"… and Sharp!" the second finished.

"If you wish to enter Her Highness' castle", Flat started.

"Then you will have to move our hearts with a song!"

I groaned again, shaking my head. And apparently, I wasn't the only one getting sick of all of this foolishness.

"Well, look's like it's time for another song!" Pinkie said, bouncing up. "_When I was just a filly and the sun was go-_"

My hoof firmly placed itself onto her mouth, silencing her. "Please, Pinkie… I don't think that it will move them like it moved your friends", I said. "If these guys are looking for a song, then we'll need something with a little more… oomph." I turned to the twins, and sighed. "Would it matter if a stallion sang for you?"

"No", Flat said, shaking his head.

"We were the songwriters of the court in our life", Sharp stated. "If no one was available to sing for the princesses, then we would sing ourselves."

"Then… I guess I'll be singing", I said. "Although I won't be able to do it alone." I turned to everyone, and thought long and hard. Finally, I stopped on Twilight herself. "Twilight Sparkle, would you please sing with me?"

"Wh-what?" she asked, surprised. "B-but, you barely know me! I-I'm not that good at singing."

I chuckled, and shook my head. "Miss Twilight, my special talent is music itself. I can tell that you're perfect for this song." I approached her, leaning my head down a bit. "I know you and I don't know each other very well, and I haven't exactly been a good friend the whole time… but you need to trust me on this. Please, sing with me."

She stared for a bit, looking horrified, but slowly nodded. "What song are we singing?"

"Just… hold on…" My horn glowed, and like that, I knew how to cast the spell. My knowledge spread to hers, and just like that, she knew what to do. I turned to Flat and Sharp, and concentrated hard. Suddenly, the wind began to pick up, and what sounded like an organ began to drift into my ears. All the while, Twilight was counting to herself, until she opened her mouth and began to sing.

_In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came_

_The voice which called to me and speaks my name_

_Now do I dream again? For now I find_

_The Phantom of the Opera is there inside my mind_

No doubt the other girls were surprised, with how wide their eyes were. I smirked, then began to focus. I remembered my training, and closed my eyes, working on keeping my mouth tall, even when my lips weren't opened. Finally, I began singing my verse.

**Sing once again with me, our strange duet**

**My power over you grows stronger yet**

**And though you turn from me to glance behind**

**The Phantom of the Opera is there inside your mind**

I wasn't even paying attention to anything but the song as the key changed again. I didn't imagine what the ghosts looked like; just the story that the song conveyed.

_Those who have seen your face draw back in fear_

_I am the mask you wear_

**It's me they hear**

**My spirit and your voice in one combined**

_Your spirit and my voice in one combined_

_**The Phantom of the Opera is there inside **__my_/**your **_**mind**_

**In all your fantasies you always knew**

**The man and mystery**

_Were both in you_

_**And in this labyrinth where night is blind**_

_**The Phantom of the Opera is there inside **__my_/**your **_**mind.**_

Finally, our voices died, and we heard the cheering of the other girls, plus the clapping of Flat and Sharp.

"Stupendous!" Sharp cried.

"That is the best music that we have heard in centuries!" Flat continued. "You are certainly amazing musicians yourselves!"

I felt my cheeks heat up, and I began hoofing the ground. "It wasn't that amazing…"

"And humble! Brother, I think that this is the best we'll ever hear, don't you agree?" Sharp asked, a smile on his face.

"I believe you're right, Brother. I feel… so at ease now! I think we may move on now!" Flat said, fading away already.

Just like that, they were gone, and the girls were surrounding me, giving me undeserved praise. My cheeks heated up as we headed inside, and finally claimed our prize…

… Six hunks of useless rocks. Of course. I grumbled a bit, but sat there. While Twilight attempted to activate the elements, Applejack nodded her head to the door, and I followed the rest of the Mane Six outside to give her some privacy.

Once outside, I felt a tap on my flank, and turned to see Applejack and Rainbow Dash standing there. "Um… can I help you?"

"Don't ya have something to say, Rainbow?" the farm pony asked nudging her cyan friend.

"Don't push it, farm hick."

I chuckled at their talking, and immediately knew what was going on. But I decided to bite my tongue and keep quiet as the Element of Loyalty looked at me, her usual confidence gone. "Look, big guy… I don't really know how to say this… but… I was a bit of a jerk… you were only trying to help and… well… what I mean to say is… ugh, why is this so hard to say?"

"Apology accepted Rainbow Dash", I said smiling. "I understand. My way of helping left… something to be desired. But next time you think you could trust me a bit more?"

"I think I can do that", Rainbow said, smiling. It was then that we heard the laughter of Nightmare Moon, and immediately I knew where to go.

"Come on, everypony! Twilight needs our help! Follow me!" I immediately began charging for the tower, since that was where Nightmare Moon had taken our precious Elements and our friend. We began calling for her as we got close to the top, and gave her the spark she needed to activate the Elements of Harmony.

Soon, our necks adorned six gold necklaces, with our Cutie Marks made of gems fixed in the center. And with a wave of bright magic, we took out Nightmare Moon, revealing the young princess trapped underneath. And once Celestia arrived and nuzzled Luna, it was our cue to head back to Ponyville. But only as we head back did a voice stop me.

"Emerald Elegy? May I please have a word with you?"

I stopped right in my tracks, and turned to Princess Celestia, the one who stopped me. How did she know my name? "Um… s-sure, Your Majesty."

Twilight paused as well, looking at both of us. "Is there something wrong, Princess?"

"No, my faithful student", Celestia said, smiling at the purple unicorn. "Don't worry, we shall catch up later. I just need a word with your new friend."

As Twilight left, I couldn't help but swallow nervously. None of this made sense. First, I get sucked into this world. Second, it adapts to include me into the episodes that I saw back on my home world. Third, Princess Celestia knows a name that I made up for myself.

I didn't like this one bit


	4. Old Goddess, New Enemy

So, now that I was alone with Princess Luna and Celestia, I can't help but feel very insignificant. I maybe taller than some of the other ponies, but Celestia especially was much taller than me. I was about the same size as Luna, perhaps a bit shorter. But still, these were the most powerful beings in this world besides Discord himself. If they wanted, I could end up being shot to the moon if I say the wrong thing.

"Now, Emerald Elegy, I'm sure that you have some questions for me", Celestia said, standing beside her little sister.

"Yeah, I do", I said, cautiously bowing my head, never dropping eye contact. If I wanted to watch my words, that meant I had to keep an eye on. "For one… how do you know my name? I'm sure I haven't met anyone associated with you until today, Princess Celestia."

"I know the names of all my subjects", she said. "Especially those as important as the Elements of Harmony." Now I was very suspicious. What was this princess hiding?

"Second, what else do you know about me?"

"Well, it's fairly obvious that you're hiding your amazing wings", the elder royal alicorn stated, letting her horn flash and ripping away my illusion spell. "By the way, I'd prefer it if you be yourself; hiding who you are isn't something an amazing pony such as you should be doing."

I know it was meant to be a compliment, but I couldn't help but feel so exposed without that illusion spell hiding my bat-like wings. Or maybe they're dragon-like? I can't really tell… anyway, I couldn't help but attempt to fold my wings as close to my body as I could, glaring at the taller princess. "Hey! That's kind of private! How do you know so much about me? Just what are you?"

Celestia only smiled kindly, easily able to tolerate my growing rage. "I know so much. After all, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't be here, now would you?"

I froze at that, and my eyes narrowed. "What?"

"I know all about you, young man." I couldn't help but cower a bit; her tone reminded me of my mother when she scolded me as a child. "I know how horrible your life was, and I know how much sadness you feel, even if you don't want to share it with the rest of the world." Even Luna seemed shocked as she looked at her older sister. She must've been on the moon when Celestia planned this. "And so, you have been given a chance to live in a world where you will be happier; where there are not as many evils, or worries, in your everyday life as there were before. I've given you a chance to live with us, in Equestria, and never be hurt again."

For the longest time I was silent, just staring at the tall alicorn. Her words ran through my head, and the events that happened in the past day soon came forward again. I felt my legs shaking, and my heart pounding faster as I narrowed my eyes again.

"How dare you."

Certainly the princesses hadn't been expecting that response, as Luna cowered back a bit, while Celestia raised an eyebrow, her smile faltering. "Excuse me?"

"How _dare __**you!**_" I shouted, unfurling my wings. "You took me away from my friends, my family! You took me away from the things I love, without so much as a bat of an eye, and threw me into a world where I didn't belong! Not only that, as if it wasn't obvious enough, but I also become the rarest form of pony, a freaking alicorn, which drags even more attention to me! _What possessed you to __**ever **__think that was __**OK?**_" In my fit of rage, I threw my necklace on the ground, the Bass Clef glinting back at me, mocking me. "I NEVER WANTED THIS!"

There was a long silence, and I breathed heavily after my very loud rant. For a second, both princesses did nothing, but staring at me. Finally, it was meek little Luna who stepped forward, her head bowed. "We apologize for what our big sister hath done to you, Emerald Elegy, Human of Equestria", she began, surprising me. I would have expected her to stand by her sister, since Celestia always seemed to know how these things would end. "Our sister did mean well, and usually, these occurrences simply work out for the best… but thine words speak otherwise. And now we know what we must do. Emerald Elegy, you have our word that we shall look for a way to return you to your proper home. Be warned, it may take many moons to do so."

As she spoke, even with her traditional way of speaking, I felt that she was speaking from the bottom of her heart, and the way she bit her lip made me realize that she wasn't telling me that she would do this; she was _asking _me if she could. I nodded, and smiled, closing my eyes. "Thank you, Princess Luna… thank you." I then looked up at Celestia, and glared. "Perhaps we'll run into each other again… _Your Highness_", I said, spitting the words a bit angrily. I then turned, recasting the illusion spell and hiding my wings once again.

I may have made a mistake this new day. I may have made an enemy with one of the most powerful beings, gotten her newly found sister on my side in the argument, and may have made a deal with her that got me stuck here in the first place. But from now on, I'll need to keep my head high, and continue this life. Of course, I should keep an eye out for changes in the story.

Still, this might prove to be… very interesting.

XxXxX

Soon, I caught up with the group, who asked immediately what Princess Celestia had to say to me, especially Twilight. I couldn't help but mentally groan. I hated hearing that name now; I'd rather not hear it any more than I have to. "Nothing important… just some… condolences."

"What for?" Rainbow Dash asked, and I mentally cursed. Well, I couldn't say any of my family; they were all alive and well back on Earth! At least, as far as I know. Thinking quickly, I thought up the perfect lie.

"My sister, Sapphire Sonata." _At this rate, I'll have to name my entire family with birthstones and musical terms, _I mused. I then couldn't help but smirk a bit, just enough that wouldn't be noticed by the mares surrounding me. _Hehe… I'll have to name my brother Diamond. _Anyway, back to the moment at hand - err, hoof. "She and her fiancee, Renaissance, are calling off the wedding."

As the girls stated their apologies, I couldn't help but mentally smirk. _This is just way too easy…_

XxXxX

Once we all arrive in Ponyville, I can't help but feel a bit happy. And how could I not? Pinkie managed to organize a last minute party, and despite the fact that I'm not the partying type, it was pretty dang _fun_. Plus, it was nice to see Luna was being accepted by her fellow ponies, despite the fact that she tried to make it night permanently all over Equestria not too long ago. Then again, that was her insanity, not the real Luna. Which troubled me; how could an alicorn as powerful as her succumb to such thoughts? This would have to come to light sooner or later.

Now, as we all had our party, and Celestia decreed that Twilight would stay here in Ponyville, that raised another little issue for me. "Ah, horsefeathers", I cursed, smacking my head with my hoof. "Where am I supposed to stay? I don't have anywhere to live!"

My friends all stared at me, surprised. "What do you mean you don't have a place to stay, darling?" Rarity asked. "Surely a big stallion like you has adequate lodgings!"

At this, I blushed, and lightly kicked the ground with my right fore hoof. "Yeah… the thing is, I'm kinda brand new to Ponyville. I don't have anywhere to live around here, which means I may be heading back to Manehatten and try my luck there."

"No way!" Pinkie said, getting in my face and making me reel back in surprise. "You're one of my very bestest new friends, and I can't let my bestest new friend leave when he hasn't even been here for a full day yet!"

"Well, then I guess that means I can stay with you?" I asked Pinkie sarcastically. At that, she immediately backed up a bit, blushing.

"A-actually, no. See, I live at Sugarcube corner, with Mr. and Mrs. Cake, so, it's not really nice to say you can stay there when I'm not the one that owns the shop. If I did, though, I'd ask you in a heartbeat!"

I chuckled, shaking my head. "It's fine Pinkie, but even if you were able to ask me over, I'd have to decline. Nothing personal, but to be honest, I'm not one for parties twenty-four seven."

At that, she had a look on her face that said, "HOW COULD YOU NOT LOVE PARTIES?" Fortunately, I was distracted by Rarity speaking up again. "And that means you probably wouldn't be able to stay with me either. We may be close friends, but judging how uneasy you were, you wouldn't be able to handle living at Carousal Boutique with me and Opal."

"I'm afraid not, Miss Rarity", I said, bowing a bit. "But I'm flattered that you're thinking about my well being."

"Not at all, darling! Just let me know if you ever need some new clothes", she said, giving me an elegant smile before she headed off. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've been up for more than twenty-four hours, so it's about time I return home for a beauty nap."

At this, I couldn't help but yawn. Has it really been twenty four hours since I arrived in Equestria? Amazing I was able to last so long. "Wow… time flies when you're saving Equestria from eternal night", I mused, rubbing my eyes with my hoof.

Twilight excused herself, saying that she needed some time to sleep too. Applejack wished me luck before she headed home. No doubt she'd have to say goodbye to all of her relatives before hitting the hay. I almost laughed at my own joke, but that would be stupid, considering that I didn't even say it out loud. Finally, Rainbow Dash left after only saying "See ya, big guy!" Apparentlythat's what she's going to call me from now on. Now, to focus on finding a home.

"Y-You can stay… w-with me… that is, if you want to…"

I was surprised by Fluttershy once again, and turned to face her. I couldn't believe that I've been ignoring her! She's my favorite pony, and now I feel like a bastard for doing so. "Are you really sure about that, Fluttershy? I mean… you barely know me…"

"I-It doesn't matter", she said, a small smile on her face. "You helped us when we needed you, and you never gave up on us, even when we didn't trust you like you trusted us. It won't be enough to repay you, but… if you want… and you don't mind the animals."

At that, I nodded, smiling happily. "It would be an honor, Fluttershy", I said. "I promise, it'll only be until I have my own place set up." Her face lightened up, and I had to stop myself from going "D'AWWW!" at her expression. "Just lead the way, and as soon as we get there, I'll take the couch."

"Oh no, I can't do that! You're my guest; you should take the bed."

I immediately saw where this was going, and I shot her a deadpan glare. "You try to make me take that bed, and you and I will have some serious problems, Fluttershy." However, I still had a twinge of a laugh on my voice, and I heard her giggle at that. So she knew I was joking… for the most part.

The walk to the cottage was mostly in silence, occasionally calling out to somepony and saying goodnight (ironic, since this was the summer solstice…). Finally, we arrived at the quaint little cottage, and I couldn't help but feel at ease here. It was far enough from the town to be quiet, but not too far if there was some kind of emergency. The shy pegasus opened the door for me, then walked in and collapsed on the couch. "The bed's upstairs", she mumbled. Obviously she was a little tired as well, judging by the adorable yawn she gave as she told me.

However, I wasn't going to stand for this. Using my magic (and by kneeling by the couch), I managed to put her on my back, making her squeak in surprise as I carried her up to her bed. "I told you, I am not taking your bed", I told her. "Besides, it looks like it's a little small for me. The couch'll be just fine."

At first, it looked like she was going to protest. But another cute yawn later, she was laying on the bed. "If you insist", she said sleepily, slowly closing her green eyes. "Good night, Emerald."

"Good night, Fluttershy", I said, smiling. I slowly headed back downstairs, and soon curled up on the couch. Then, just to help me get a good sleep, I sang to myself, quietly so I wouldn't disturb the pegasus.

The words "Please don't take my sunshine away" echoed through the living room before, with a yawn, I finally passed out into a peaceful, dreamless slumber


	5. Learning to Fly: Failure

Well, in the short amount of time I've been here, I learned one thing about Ponyville.

EVERYONE IS WAY TOO NICE!

I mean, seriously. I went to Mayor Mare the next day and explained my plight (leaving out the whole I'm a human trapped in an alicorn's body thing, obviously), and she said that she would pay the construction crew to BUILD ME A HOUSE. Not even joking here. Then she asked me what my special talent was, and since this was as far as I could do, I told her that I'm very good at singing sad, opera-like songs, and she made the deal sweeter; she would refurbish the outdoor stage and turn it into a freaking THEATER, and give me a place to stay INSIDE of the theater that she was now paying for. I attempted to turn her down, but she insisted, and now, I'm getting a freaking theater as a home. It's gonna have a bunch of dressing rooms and everything. I can't say I'm not stoked, but still, that's a lot of trouble for just little old me…

Still, construction is under way, and in a couple weeks, I'm gonna be living there. But until then, I'm still crashing on Fluttershy's couch. But this is where I put my hoof down; I'm not gonna mooch off of a friend like that. I decided to pay her back by helping feed the animals, getting supplies from the market, and helping make meals. She certainly seemed to enjoy my salads and fruit-filled breakfasts, which was a plus. The schedule was pretty much the same every day. Wake up, find something to do, do it, go to bed. And while Fluttershy fell asleep faster than I did, it allowed me to sing my own quiet lullaby to myself, just to help me remember what I was fighting for. I may like this new world, but I didn't belong here.

Now, it's been a while since Twilight and I moved in, and I knew what was going to be happening. The student of Celestia would be receiving two tickets for the Grand Galloping Gala, and all of her friends would start bickering. All except me, that is. I have nothing to do with this one, and I want nothing to do with it.

On that day, I awoke bright and early, as usual, and headed into the kitchen to make some strawberry pancakes with maple syrup on the side. Quickly, I mixed the eggs, flour, milk, and strawberries together perfectly before I began cooking them on the stove. Just as I finished, I heard the hoofsteps of my roommate, Fluttershy, and turned to the entryway, smiling. "Good morning, Fluttershy!"

"Good morning, E-Emerald", she said, that cute stuttering giving me an urge to squeal again. Which would be very unmanly, so I refused to let it out. "Breakfast smells delicious, like normal."

"Thanks again", I said, smiling. "It's nice to know some ponies like my cooking." I hummed calmly to myself as I placed the plates on the table with my magic. It was becoming a lot easier for me to manipulate things with my new horn, especially considering that I was relatively new at it.

"Um… Emerald?" I turned to Fluttershy once more, catching her quiet tone.

"Yes, Fluttershy?"

"I was w-wondering… w-what is that song you sing every night?"

I felt my cheeks heat up, and suddenly found my hooves very interesting. "Y-you heard me?"

"Oh yes", she said, nodding. "I didn't know you sang it until a couple of nights ago, and I couldn't help but listen. You have a very beautiful voice, Emerald."

"Nah, I'm not that good", I replied, shaking my head a bit. "Anyway, it's a lullaby that my mother used to sing to me. Sometimes I sing it when I get upset or overworked, so I can calm down. It's called 'You Are My Sunshine'."

"I never heard of it before…"

"Well, it's not supposed to be a lullaby, really. The rest of the song is really sad, since it was about a stallion who lost the one he love. She only sang the first verse to me. It was just to help me fall asleep when I was only a colt. I was afraid of a lot of things… darkness, wasps… flying…"

"Why would you be afraid of flying?" Fluttershy asked, and immediately I winced. However, she mistook it for a bad memory, and quickly apologized. "I'm sorry… were you picked on by some pegasi?"

"Yeah, let's go with that", I said, mumbling the second half of that sentence to myself. I looked at the clock, and realized that it was getting to be late. I wanted to head by the construction sight, and see how they were doing with my new home. "Hey, I'm gonna head out and check out my home. Catch you later?"

Fluttershy nodded, and waved goodbye. As I left, I gently pet Angel on the head, just to get a rise out of him. He doesn't mind me, but he doesn't like it when I mess up his hair. I nimbly dodge the carrot that he was munching on and trot on to Ponyville, humming to myself. Ugh, ever since I've gotten here, I've been humming and singing more often. This world is going to get the best of me if I don't keep my guard up. I had to remember how bad my world was, so that I could return to it safely and with my sanity intact.

I know this world is so happy… but I can't stay here. Not after knowing about my world's past, and experiencing my own past. I couldn't just let myself forget so easily.

I soon arrived at the construction sight, and after making sure I was a safe distance away from possible accidents, I sat down and began watching as they worked on my new home. I couldn't help but be curious about how it all worked; ponies didn't have electricity like humans. But then again, they probably used magic to make their equipment work. I remembered my mother; whenever we passed by a construction sight or drove by a work crew on the highway, we'd always want to stop and just watch how they work for a while, or better yet, grab a hard helmet and ask how everything works. Of course, we wouldn't, since we'd usually be distracted by such things as deadlines or destinations.

"Hello, Emerald."

I snapped out of my little daydream, and turned to face a certain purple unicorn and dragon assistant. "Hey, Twi, Spike." I had officially met Spike days ago, and I think he's happy that one of Twilight's new friends is a guy, because he keeps asking me to come over and hang with him. I don't mind much, but usually when I show up, we end up helping Twilight organize the library or something. "What's my favorite librarians doing out among the commonfolk?"

Spike chuckled. "Man, I can't get over how sometimes you talk like everyone else, then you just suddenly switch to talk like Rarity."

I put on a cheeky grin. "Part of the trade, kiddo. If I wasn't good at switching voices, I wouldn't be a good actor, now, would I?" I brohoofed his extended fist, and then turned to Twilight. "Now, seriously, what're you doing around here? I'm pretty sure my house being built isn't that interesting."

"Oh, nothing much", Twilight said. "I was helping Applejack collect some Golden Delicious apples." I made a face at that. I didn't like the taste of those apples; I much prefferred the ridiculously sweet red apples or the unexpectedly sour green ones. "But then I got two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala, and, well, Rainbow Dash and Applejack got into an argument over who should get the extra ticket."

This time, I frowned. "Oh. That thing." I turned back to the construction thing. "Well, you don't have to worry about me wanting to go to that thing. I'm not into parties like Pinkie or anypony else for that matter."

At that, Twilight was surprised. "Why wouldn't you want to go? I mean, it's supposed to be the greatest gathering in all of Equestria. And it's held at Celestia and Luna's castle."

_Part of why I don't want to go_, I thought bitterly. "As I said, not one for parties. Plus, there's nothing there that interests me. Sure, the party may attract Pinkie, the garden will interest Fluttershy, and the prim, posh ponies are Rarity's folks, but I'm not interested in any of that."

Twilight immediately frowned, bringing a hoof to her lips. "Hm… I didn't think of the others… I guess it's not just two that might start fighting for this extra ticket."

"And one of them is not going to be me", I told her. I trotted past her, and immediately came up with an idea of what to do while this episode played itself out. "Listen, I'm gonna head out and find something interesting to do… have fun dealing with the mares", I said, smiling at her. I then galloped out of there, not willing to deal with a town full of crazy ponies attempting to get those tickets.

It's been long enough for me; time to try flying.

XxXxX

As soon as I arrived on the edge of the Everfree Forest, I knew that I was safe. The only ones nearby would be the animals, and they were busy with their own… animal… things. I don't know what they do! I'm not Fluttershy after all! Anyway, now that I was alone, it was time to practice using my wings for the first time since arriving here.

With a simple flash, my spell was negated, and my dragon wings suddenly appeared once again. I stretched them out, and I had to admit, I shuddered at how good it felt. I kept my wings so tight against my body that they hadn't been stretched properly in a very long time. I lightly flapped my wings, and noticed that despite a lack of use, they were still feeling very strong, and ready for flight. Now, just how should I try this?

I had to admit, this was a bit of a pain. I had no idea how to flap my wings. I know that it wasn't as simple as flapping my wings up and down. From videos I had seen of bats and birds flying, most of it was by moving their wings in a circular motion. Perhaps I should try that? I crouched down, looking around again just to make sure that no one was watching. And then, I leapt, opening my wings and flapping hard and fast.

Only to land on the ground, my horn stuck in the ground once more.

"Ow… that hurt…" I muttered, pulling my horn out of the ground. I then shook my head, and frowned. "Ugh… well, that's to be expected from a first time flier. Only thing I can do is try again." I flapped my wings once more, and leapt, only to meet up with similar results.

This was all I worked on all day. I constantly began flapping my wings, and leapt to the sky, only for gravity to pull me back down. By the end of the day, my wings were sore from the stress, and it actually felt comfortable to fold them up and hide them once again. I guess they weren't as strong as I thought they were; they were unable to lift me off. Either that, or I was flapping them wrong. I don't know what it is, but I can't ask for advice. If I told my new friends that Iw as actually an Alicorn… they'd never trust me again.

I frowned at the thought of losing the only people that were my friends in this world. Not only would I probably become deeply depressed, I'd never be able to leave my home.. or, at the moment, Fluttershy's home. I sighed, and started the slow walk home. It was getting late, and by now, Twilight had most likely sent Celestia her response, saying she couldn't pick just one of her friends.

XxXxX

Now, as I returned to the library to check on my friends, I noticed that one at a time, the rest of the Mane Six left, each in possession of their own golden ticket for the gala. I smiled, and walked inside, spotting Twilight smiling after her friends. "Hey. Looks like your little issue's been solved."

Twilight smiled at me, and nodded. "Yeah. Are you a fortune teller or something? Because shortly after you and I spoke to each other, I ran into Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy."

"Just lucky, I guess", I said. "Celestia didn't send one for me did she?" I asked, looking a little worried.

"No", Twilight said, shaking her head. "I wrote that you expressed your desire to not go, so she said she'd understand and respect your decision not to attend."

_Oh sure, now she understands_, I thought, mentally growling. "Good. I don't think I'd be able to handle going to such a girly froo-froo gala."

"I honestly don't know why you hate it so much", Twilight began, while my attention suddenly shifted to Spike. He didn't look too good, and he looked like he was trying to hold back a belch. Finally, he couldn't hold it any more, and suddenly burped. But instead of the usual green flames he was well known for, this time he released blue fire, surprising both me and Twilight. There was another letter, but instead of the golden seal of Celestia, this one had a silver seal, with the moon stamped on it. Twilight took it, and looked at it cautiously, before suddenly used her magic to float it over to me. "It's… for you."

I eyed the letter, then took a hold of it with my own magic, and opened it up. I recognized the writer immediately as someone that I met a couple weeks ago.

_Emerald Elegy,_

_My sister has told us of your desire not to go. We are sure it has something to do with her, and we understand your wish to stay as far away from her as possible. However, if thou changest your mind, then thou shall use this ticket, and be our guest of honor. After all, this event only happens once a year._

_We would like to hear another song from you, as well… so if you wish, you will be allowed to perform at the Gala. It would be an honor to hear thou sing once again._

_With great respect,_

_Princess Luna_

And encased was not a golden ticket, but a silver ticket, with the words Honored Guest on it. I stared in awe and shock, almost dropping the spell on my wings. "Holy hay", I said. "It's from… Princess Luna."

"What does it say?" Twilight asked, immediately intrigued.

"Well… she gave me a ticket, and said that if I change my mind, I'm more than welcome at the gala." I sighed. "I dunno what I'm gonna do… I need time to think." I lifted the letter and ticket with my magic. "I'm gonna take these with me… is that okay?"

"It's your mail", Twilight said, although I could tell that she was hoping I would leave the letter with her, since it was the first that she had ever sent to Ponyville. I smiled slyly at her. "Don't worry, Twilight; I'm sure next time she'll send one to you." I couldn't help but chuckle at her flabbergasted expression, then quickly left before she had a chance to chuck a book at me


	6. Blaze

A week has passed, and surprisingly my theater was finally complete, allowing me to have a place for my own for the first time since arriving in this world. And I had to admit, I liked how it was looking. Of course, I would have to name the large building. But that was simple; most of the plays I ever attended were performed at night, and if this world was anything like my own, they'd surely do the same. So, why not the Lunar Theater?

The inside wasn't furbished completely, but that was to be expected. I had to personalize it, set up the seating boxes so that the higher class ponies could enjoy the play in their own comfort, set up an area close to the front for the orchestra that may perform at my theater. And of course, I'll need to test the acoustics on someone. But I didn't know who at the moment. And it would have to wait for a little while. If I was correct in my assumption, then today was the day that Applejack would save the town from a stampede. After all, Big Mac was injured recently, and he wouldn't be able to buck apples.

I left my new home today, with Fluttershy not too far behind. She had wanted to be the first to see my new home, and helped me move some things I had gotten while I had been living with her. "It's wonderful that you have a place to yourself, Emerald."

"It is", I said, smiling. "Well, at least I won't be taking up unnecessary space at your place, Fluttershy."

"Oh, you were no trouble at all", she said, picking up on what I was saying. "In fact, I think I'm going to miss your breakfasts. They were pretty good, after all."

I smiled, and nudged her lightly with my hip. "Why, Miss Fluttershy, I'm starting to think you'd prefer it if I lived with you from now on", I teased, making her blush brightly. I laughed as she stammered, trying to come up with a coherent response. "Easy, Shy, I'm just yanking your chain. I may not be able to cook for you every day anymore, but maybe every now and then we could meet up for breakfast?"

Although she was still bright pink on the cheeks, she gave me a very small smile, and hid most of her face with her mane. "I…I'd like that v-very much…" she said softly.

I was about to try to get her to blush again, but then I heard the rumbling, and turned to the road leading to Ponyville. _Right on time_, I thought, seeing Applejack and her dog, Winona, herding the bovines over to the pasture to the side of the road. I smiled, watching as the crowds cheered for the farm pony. And just as quickly, there was a celebration put together for her, which made me sweat-drop. "That was fast…"

As the celebration went on, I heard the three ponies that had plans with Applejack, and got an idea. I walked over to her, and nudged her with my shoulder. "There's the pony of the hour", I said, smiling. "That was some awesome wrangling skills."

"Shucks, Emerald, I was just doing my job to save Ponyville", Applejack said, adjusting her hat. "You probably woulda done the same thing if you were me."

"Yeah, I would", I said, walking around her. "Say, you think you could do me one teensy, tiny little favor?" I asked, smiling at her hopefully.

"Sure thing, sugarcube", she said, smiling. "What can I do fer ya?"

"Well, the theater is about ready for showing performances, but I do need somepony to listen to the acoustics. I'm afraid I'll be on stage a lot, and I need to know if my voice will reach them. Do you think you could maybe just sit and let me test the acoustics on you?"

"Sure thing", she said, shrugging. "Doesn't sound like a lot of trouble."

Little did she know she walked right into my trap, and I grinned. "Excellent! I expect to see you in a few days, after you help out Pinkie." I bid her a good day, and headed to my new home. I needed to let her spend a couple of days on Sweet Apple Acres after all.

As I was walking though, I froze. A familiar sound was hitting my ears, and it reminded me of my old life. I looked around, and soon spotted the disturbance. There was a jet-black pony walking along the road, curious as to what was going on. He certainly looked out of place; after all, it's not often that an alicorn is seen in Ponyville. His mane and tail were a bright red, waving gently in the breeze and looking an awful lot like fire. I suddenly recognized him, and felt my heart beat a lot faster in both fear and joy. But I had to act natural, or else bot our covers might be blown. I quickly trotted over, and with my magic, grabbed him and pulled him along, getting a yelp out of him. I then galloped as fast as I could, pulling him into the theater before I let him go, positive that he and I were alone.

"Hey! What are you doing?" He turned to me, his red eyes meeting my yellow ones. "You're not supposed to just grab somebody and drag him off the street!"

I rolled my eyes. Of course, he would screw up. "I believe the term you're looking for is 'somepony', dude." When he froze, and tilted his head, I answered for him. "Tell me; do you ever remember seeing an emerald green stallion on My Little Pony?"

"… Tim?"

"No duh, who else do you think would call you dude here?" I walked over, and extended my hoof, which he returned eagerly. Brohoof!

"I can't believe it! This is where you've been? How the hell did you get here?"

"I don't know, man. At least, I didn't." I explained to him everything that happened, from my first day here, to helping defeat Nightmare Moon. Of course, I didn't tell him about my failed attempt to fly. He'd gloat it over me for the longest time. "And that, Brad, is what caused me to be stuck here for at least a month."

At that, Brad looked down, sadly. "Dude… I don't know what to say…"

"Don't say anything." I rolled my eyes, and lowered my head. "If anything, it's my fault you're here. No doubt, Celestia saw that your life hasn't exactly been perfect, either, and dragged you in here to keep me company."

"Nah, it's okay", he said, to my surprise. "It's been… kinda bad lately. Most of our so-called friends are jerks, and none of them have exactly been trying to find you."

That hurt. It hurt a lot, to tell you the truth. "What do you mean?"

"… I hate to tell you, man… it's gonna hurt."

"I don't care, just tell me what the hell is going."

He looked at me, then reluctantly down at his hooves. "… I don't think they even noticed you're gone."

If his old phrase hurt, then this one put me in agonizing pain. I sank onto my flank, unable to stand anymore. My own friends hadn't noticed my disappearance? I mean, yeah, we don't talk often, but surely there was word of my disappearance? I mean, my parents would have put out a notice or have gone to the news with it, or post stuff on Facebook?

"I'm sorry, bro", he said, sitting in front of me. "I wish I had better news to give you… your mom, dad, and brother are looking all over for you, though, if that helps…"

I sniffed a bit, and nodded, able to hold back the tears. I don't know why, but even with that terrible news, I couldn't cry. "It's okay", I said, swallowing the knot in my throat. "I'll… deal with that when I get back to Earth." I shook my head, focusing. "Listen, dude, you're stuck here with me, so that means you need a different name. Like how mine is Emerald Elegy?"

"You stuck with your fan-pony's name? Nice." He tapped his chin. "I guess that means I'm Blaze now, huh?"

"Yep." I then pointed to his wings, biting my lip. "And you might want to focus on hiding those… not a lot of alicorns, after all."

"But I don't know how!"

I groaned, facehoofing. "Fine… I'll teach you everything I know… this is gonna take a while…"

XxXxX

Days passed, and soon it was well into the day that Applejack promised she'd be here. In that time, I taught Blaze everything he needed to know about being a pony. Although I had to admit, it was funny, figuring out that most of his magic was fire based.

"Man, I love my special talent!" he said, making his little fireball dance around the theater for the umpteenth time today. I honestly lost count at 25.

"I know dude, I know", I said. "You do realize you can't mooch off of me forever, right?"

"Whatever you say, bro. You wouldn't kick me out without having a job or a home of my own."

Damn. He is right about that. "Whatever… listen, Applejack is coming. And if my plan is gonna go right, you're gonna have to leave and wait for me outside of Ponyville, on the road to Sweet Apple Acres, understand?"

"Yes, mon capitan", he said, mocking a salute. "You've told me about a dozen times already. I thought we were supposed to avoid changing the story?"

"The story's been changed ever since I've been here. Let's just face it; we're only going to make minor differences. Might as well have fun with it." I heard the front doors squeak open, and immediately nudged him with my head. "Now, get out of here! I think she's here!"

"Yes, _dad_", Blaze mocked, running through the back exit. At that exact moment, I heard the doors open at the back of the theater, where a very tired mare entered.

"There you are. How's the apple bucking going?" I asked, smiling at her.

"Just fine", she said, sounding a bit cranky. not much of a surprise, though, with those dark circles under her eyes. "Let's just get this over with so I can get back to work."

I nodded, and walke over to her, ushering her over to her seat. Then I went back to the stage, using my magic to dim the lights. "Now, just let me know if you can hear me through the whole song." I then focused on the song that I wanted to sing, and closed my eyes once more. Since I doubted that I would be in that little story, I decided on the basic lullaby that everypony knew.

_Hush now, quiet now_

_It's time to lay your sleepy head_

_Hush now, quiet now_

_It's time to go to bed_

_Drifting off to sleep_

_The busy day behind you_

_Drifting off to sleep_

_Let the joy of dream land find you_

It didn't take long for Applejack to fall into a slumber. After the first verse, she was out like a light, allowing me to act out my plan. I quickly exited out of the backstage, but not until after I gently wrapped her up in a blanket so she wouldn't get cold.

As I galloped, I managed to meet up with Blaze, who was hiding his own wings with the spell that I taught him. "Now, quick. We gotta find Big Mac before Applejack wakes up!"

XxXxX

By the time Applejack had woken up, we had finished up to half of the trees. And boy, was she not happy to see us doing her job. "Emerald Elegy! Just what in tarnation do ya think yer doin'?"

"I'm helping a friend who helped me", I said calmly, letting Blaze continue the work. "After all, a friend in need is a friend indeed."

"I do NOT need yer help! Not yours or anypony else's!" she said, getting in my face. "I told Twilight that I didn't need help, and she sets you up to trick me and do my job? Ya'll are being insensitive to my wishes, and I will not stand fer it!"

At this point, I was getting a bit angry at how she was yelling at me, and with the fact that she had pushed herself into my face, I decided enough was enough. "SIT DOWN!" I suddenly barked, startling her and stopping her angry rant. In fact, Applejack was so surprised she instinctively sat down, since her hind legs could no longer support herself. I then moved out of the way, so she could see all the trees that still needed to be bucked. "Take a good look, Applejack. At the rate you were going, you'd have killed yourself with exhaustion before you finished the harvest. Face it; you need as much help as you can get. It's okay to say that you need it, but it's not okay to let your pride take priority over your own health."

Apparently, seeing how much was left finally seemed to get it through her stubborn head, and she reluctantly sighed. "Fine. I do need help. Do ya think you and that new pony can work for a bit while I get the rest of our friends?"

I smiled, and nodded. "And I'll make sure to introduce you to my friend once the harvest's over."

"I'll hold ya to your word", she said, smiling. She then trotted off toward Ponyville, leaving me and Blaze on our own.

"I can't believe that worked", he said, walking over to me, easily holding the two baskets of apples on his back.

"Well, my special talent is using my voice", I said, smirking at him. "It would make sense that some ponies trust me." I then kicked a tree, and filled up my own baskets. "Come on, let's try to get some more done before the others show up."

XxXxX

We managed to get a good chunk, but we weren't even close to finishing by the time the rest of the girls showed up. But that was quickly taken care of, thanks to everyone's hard work. By the time it was over, Applejack had brought over some bottles of juice for us to drink so we could cool off.

It was then that I introduced to everyone Blaze, my friend back in school. I made up the story that he and I had been friends since we met back in Manehatten, and got into all kinds of crazy, kid adventures when we were only colts. Of course, everyone took to him kindly, which I had to admit, made me jealous. Even in Equestria, it seemed that everyone warmed up to him faster than they warmed up to me.

As we celebrated, I had to admit, I felt really bad, lying to my new friends all the time. Here we were, humans that were turned into Alicorns, and we were lying about our past, hiding our true features, and they were completely hooked into it. Twilight seemed to notice my melancholy expression, and spoke up. "Are you okay, Emerald?"

I looked at her, still with the sad expression. I then looked at my hooves, thinking about something. "Actually… do you think I could come by the treehouse later and talk to you?"

This caught everyone by surprise, and Rainbow Dash immediately got into my face once again. I was used to it by now. "What's going on? Are you okay? No one's picking on you for being so tall, right?"

I couldn't help but laugh, surprised by the sudden concern. "Nah, it's nothing like that, Dash. Thanks for the concern, though."

Dash blushed, and immediately glared at me. "I wasn't concerned, you know! I just don't want anyone picking on you besides me!"

Blaze rolled his eyes. "Is she always picking on you like this?"

"Sadly, yes. I let her, though; besides flying, it's the only other thing she lives for", I said, sticking my tongue out at Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, you wish, you giant."

XxXxX

"Alright, dude, I understand you hiding secrets from everypony else, but this is getting ridiculous."

Blaze and I were taking the path through Ponyville to Twilight's tree. However, I was opting to move as slowly as possible, because I was dreading this moment. My best friend knew something was up, because I had asked him to come along, but I wouldn't say why. He kept questioning me all the way, but I stayed silent. Finally, we arrived at the front door, and reluctantly, I knocked three times. As always, a certain purple dragon opened the door, and he certainly looked happy to see me.

"Yo, Emerald! What's up? Twilight said you'd be coming by later today." He finally noticed Blaze, and smiled warmly. "Hi there! I'm Spike."

"Blaze", he responded, bowing his head a bit. "Now, listen, you have any idea why Emerald wants to be here?" I walked inside, allowing Spike to close the door. "I haven't been able to get two words out of him since we left the theater."

"Beats me", Spike replied, shrugging. "I don't get to see him that often, so I don't know all of his secrets."

"Ah! There you are!" a female voice drifted from upstairs. "I thought I heard the door open." Twilight started heading down from her room, but paused as soon as she saw Blaze. "Um… can I help you?"

"Yeah, if you know why Emerald wanted me to be here."

"Moral support", I finally answered, surprising everyone. "I mean…" I was suddenly shuffling my hooves on the ground. "Twilight… I haven't been exactly honest with you…"

I saw the look on Blaze's face, and knew what he was thinking immediately. What was I going to say? Was I going to reveal what we really were? Would I try to tell her what we used to be? "Emerald, whatever it is, you can tell me", I heard Twilight say, pulling my attention. "I mean, we're friends. If you can't tell me, who can you tell?"

I sighed a bit, and focused my magic. All of a sudden, there was a flash, and a loud gasp. "You're… you're an alicorn?


	7. The Truth

There I stood, in Twilight's library, my eyes closed. My wings were exposed to both her and Spike, and I could practically feel Blaze's disapproving look. After all, I spent a week teaching him to hide his wings, and all of a sudden I reveal mine? Not exactly fair, I know, but I couldn't explain to him what I was doing. Otherwise, I would have lost my nerve.

"I can't believe it…" I heard Twilight say. I could feel the way she was walking around me, observing my wings. "How is this possible? Did you cast a spell to give you wings?"

"No… these are natural wings", I said, opening my eyes and looking at her. "Twilight, I haven't exactly been honest with you."

"Well, then maybe you should start talking", she said, giving me a frown as she sat down in front of me.

"Are you sure?" I asked, looking at her worriedly. "It is a long story…"

"Don't worry, bro", I heard Spike say. I was surprised that he hadn't said anything, but now it looks like he wasn't even affected. "I'll probably fall asleep, so I'm gonna hit the hay. Goodnight, everypony." He headed upstairs, obviously looking tired. It was getting kinda late for him to be staying up…

I felt my head being turned, and soon was facing Twilight again, and noticed her horn glowing a bit. I shook my head, then sat down. "Alright… here's the story. I'm… not exactly from Equestria."

XxXxX

The story took a while to tell. I had to explain about Earth, and what humans looked like, and a little about my home. Nothing too much, so that she wouldn't think I was a horrible person, or that all humans were scum. Just enough to give her a feel for what life was like for me. I then explained the dream I had, and waking up in the Everfree Forest in the body of an Alicorn.

Then came the hard part. I had to tell her about the universe I lived in, and how hers was a tv show in mine. I explained how I knew the story and what would happen, and how things have changed since I showed up. I also went into detail about hiding my wings, since alicorns aren't very common. But I did not tell her who was responsible for bringing me here. If I told her that Celestia was the one that did this to me… well, either she'd never believe me, or she would lose faith in her teacher. And while I wasn't a fan of the princess of Equestria, I was even less a fan of smashing my friend's hopes and dreams.

It was well into the night when I finally finished my tail, and for the first time since I got here, it was quiet. Eerily quiet. Twilight Sparkle just sat there, staring at the both of us. My heart was beating rapidly in my chest, and I lowered my head, closing my eyes and waiting for the hurtful words.

"I believe you."

I suddenly shot up, staring at her. What did she just say?

She had a warm smile on her face, and her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. "I admit, it's a hard story to believe… but there's no way you could put that much emotion into it and be lying… either of you." Blaze flinched, and I knew what she meant. With a flash, he let his wings be seen as well. "To be taken away from all you know and love… my story may not be so extreme, but I know what you're talking about."

"… Thank you", I said, sighing. "I had to tell someone… it hurts too much to keep stuff like this bottled in."

"Don't worry", Twilight said, standing up. "Your secret is safe with me. Now, it's getting pretty late… you should probably head home before it gets too dark."

"No problem", I said, smirking. "Blaze can light the way for me. Very useful as a nightlight." I heard him snort, and laughed a bit. "Goodnight, Twilight."

"Good night, boys. Be careful."

As we trotted home, Blaze nudged me hard in the ribs. With his hoof. "Ow! What was that for?"

"For not telling me what you were planning", he said, glaring at me. "Don't you know that I would've liked to know you were planning on blowing your cover?"

I sighed, and nodded. "Yes, I know you would've. But still, I would have lost my nerve if I tried to explain to you! I mean, sometimes, talking to you about something as serious as this makes me feel like I shouldn't be talking about it at all."

"Really? Nice to know that my presence alone keeps you from turning to the dark side, young padawan."

"Haha, I forgot how to laugh", I said dryly. I then smirked, and nudged him. "By the way, I'm surprised. We were a couple feet away from Twilight the whole time, and you didn't react at all to her!"

At that, he froze, and I knew a struck a nerve. Twilight Sparkle was his favorite pony in the show, and seeing him like this was hilarious. I went behind him, and began nudging home. All the while, he let out a little whine as he realized he had never even said hello to the lilac unicorn.

XxXxX

The next morning, I was helping myself make some scrambled eggs. It seemed that these ponies weren't strictly vegetarian, although they did prefer it that way. Anyway, I was making breakfast for both myself and Blaze, since he didn't have anywhere to live at the moment. He walked down from his room, yawning. I had forgotten he wasn't a morning pony.

"So, Nightlight, are you done bemoaning your missed chance to talk to Twilight?" I said slyly, smirking at him.

"Ha ha, very funny", he said, growling at me. He sat at the table, and soon thought about the situation we were in. "Dude… when do you think Luna will figure out how to send us home?"

I sighed, and put his breakfast in front of him. "I have no idea", I said, grumbling a bit. "I mean, Celestia is the only one that knows how to summon humans in this realm and give them a new body. I don't know if she kept that spell or if she destroyed it." It was then I realized it for the first time. "We… we may be trapped here forever."

This was met by silence, and for a moment neither of us said anything. It was sinking in that we may live here the rest of our lives. What should we do if that were the case? Try to live life to the fullest? "So… would it be okay if I went after Twilight?"

Wait, what?

I turned so fast to Blaze that I almost got whiplash. "Of course not!" I said, snorting at him. "We're both humans, and she's a pony! Why would you even consider that?"

"Dude, chill", he said calmly, not even raising his voice. It was one of the few things that irritated me enough to actually get me to shut up around him. "I'm just saying… we're not exactly humans right now. Maybe… if we do end up staying here, we should consider…"

"You're kidding me, right?" I said, looking a bit disgusted. "I mean… we don't know if we're going to be staying."

"But we don't know if we're leaving", Blaze countered. I didn't have anything to say to that, and he finished his breakfast while I sat there in silence. "Listen, dude… there is a possibility we won't be leaving. Just think about it."

And with that, I was alone in my theater, with nothing but the many chairs for company. I had finally finished everything, and it was all set for any production. I guess the only thing for me to do was get a cast together, and start shows. But I wasn't exactly thinking about that. Instead I was thinking of my situation. Should I just act natural? Attempt to settle down, start a family? And if so, with whom? All of these questions ran through my mind, and I couldn't help but wish I didn't have so much to think about at the moment.

Finally, I decided to let my emotions out into my voice. I headed out into the main stage, looking out among the many chairs. My eyes closed, and I couldn't find my song quick enough. Finally, I settled on one, and began singing. I could feel the instruments in the background, hear the rhythm in the air.

_They came for him one winter's night._

_Arrested, he was bound_

_They said there'd been a robbery_

_His pistol had been found_

_They led him to the station house_

_He waited for the dawn_

_And as they led him to the dock_

_He knew that he'd been wronged_

_"You stand accused of robbery,"_

_He heard the bailiff say_

_He knew without an alibi_

_tomorrow's light would mourn his freedom_

_Over the hills and far away_

_For ten long years he'll count the days_

_Over the mountains and the seas_

_A prisoner's life for him there'll be_

I poured my heart into this song, since I felt this way. I had been taken away from my home, from everything I knew. How could I not feel at least a little like a prisoner? This world was perfect, but it wasn't my world. I felt so out of place, and I couldn't help but hate myself for it. So I sang to alleviate my stress, and to calm myself down.

Finally, the song ended, and I stood on stage, slightly out of breath. Singing so loud for so long took a lot out of me. I finally sat down on the stage, looking down. All of this was just… so difficult to take in, you know? The last month has felt like a dream, even though I know it's not.

I suddenly hear the sound of somepony stomping their hooves on the ground, the pony equivalent of clapping, and I looked up, startled. And of course, there in the audience is Fluttershy, sitting in the front row. I blush, and gently paw the ground. "Y-you heard the whole thing?"

"Blaze and I saw each other today", she said, flapping her wings and joining me on the stage. "He told me that you were feeling down… I thought I could come by and cheer you up."

I had to admit, it felt good to know that someone cared for me like that. "Well, I'm fine… I just sing when I need to handle my emotions. Not always happy songs, but it gets the job done."

"You must've been sad a lot in the past, huh?" she asked, her frown apparent. I immediately panicked a bit, not wanting her to cry for me. I shook my head.

"Maybe a bit", I said, sighing. "But, it's in the past now. I'm here, and I have no reason to be sad right now." However, before I could finish what I was planning to say, I felt something press against me, and I could feel somepony hugging me. I looked over at Fluttershy, blushing brightly. "F-Fluttershy, I said I'm not sad…"

"I know", she said, looking at me. "But I just want to say… I know what you're going through." She finally let go, and started walking out. "If you want, later today I'm taking Angel on a picnic. Maybe you could join us?"

I smiled, although my cheeks were still a bit pink. "I think I'd like that." She smiled at me, and left the theater, with me watching her leave the whole time.

_"There is a possibility that we won't be leaving. Just think about it, okay?"_

Blaze's words echoed into my ears, and I couldn't help but think a bit more about it. Maybe there is a chance that we won't be leaving. Would I spend my whole life being miserable, just because I miss how things were? No way. Not anymore. I needed to live life to the fullest now.

If only it would stay that way


	8. Dragonshy

**Okay, everypony. This is the author, Emerald King, here with a quick message.**

**I will be skipping some episodes in the show. After all, not all of the mane six are in every episode. Hell, sometimes they aren't even in the same episodes as all the others. For example, Rainbow Dash and Applejack didn't appear in Green Isn't Your Color, and likewise with other ponies and other episodes. Plus, not every episode appears in chronological order, considering that Winter Wrap-Up was published before Fall Weather Friends. **

**So, if you have a specific request to see Emerald in another episode, or perhaps you want to put him in a certain situation, just include the situation or episode in a review or Private Message, and I shall see if I can. If I cannot, I will let you know, and will give my humblest apologies.**

**Now, shall we get back to work?**

XxXxX

Well, life in Ponyville has been running swimmingly for me. It was much more peaceful than I expected it to be, considering all of the craziness that happens every now and then. Then again, all we see are the specific episodes that show certain events, and never what happens between them all. In other words…

… I was getting bored.

I had to admit, life was a bit more boring than I expected. Then again, I haven't exactly been doing a lot to keep really busy. I was currently looking over many plays and musicals that I could put on here in Ponyville, hoping to find something that fit my own interests and the rest of Ponyville's. Have to admit, some of these titles were pretty interesting, although some of them had no need to change. Phantom of the Opera was still the same, but other things like Night Mare Before Christmas, or perhaps Into Everfree, were actually pretty entertaining. I considered a lot of them, but I couldn't decide on one.

As I worked, I realized that I had missed a couple of events. I guess Pinkie accidentally forgot to invite me for Gilda's party, which she felt horrible for, because a week ago, she burst into my theater, apologizing profusely. It took a well timed shout and smile to calm her down. "Pinkie, I'm not mad", I had told her. "In fact, I don't mind that you didn't invite me. I'm not much of a party pony, and I still have a lot of work to do at the theater. A party would just distract me." She didn't seem happy that I wasn't a party pony, but at least it calmed her down. "Next time, though, I would at least appreciate an invite so I can at least get a chance to RSVP." That definitely cheered her up, and she left me to do my work.

I had ignored Trixie when she came into town. After all, I had enough showing off back at my home; I didn't need to hear it from a unicorn that only did cheap parlor tricks.

But today, I was interrupted by a knock on the door, and when I opened it, I immediately spotted Twilight Sparkle at the door, and above us was a thick cloud of smoke. I didn't even need to ask what was wrong. "I'll pack some supplies", I said, heading inside.

As I walked around, picking up some food for energy and a map of the mountainous areas nearby, I looked to the empty room that Blaze used to stay in. It had only been a couple weeks, but I had to admit, it was kind of lonely without a roommate. I had written to Celestia, and actually asked her a favor. This was my exact letter

_Dear Princess Celestia_

_I can't believe I'm doing this, but I'll feel like crap if I don't. I know that you brought Blaze into this world as well, and I know that you think it'll get me to calm down a bit about being trapped in Equestria. It didn't, but you get a B+ for effort._

_That's besides the point. If you want to make at least Blaze happy, could you at least give him a position as a guard? More specifically, as Twilight Sparkle's personal bodyguard. After all, the student of such a powerful alicorn deserves some protection, and who better than a pony with as much talent with fire and shield spells as Blaze? Plus, I have a feeling the two like each other._

_I understand if you won't do this, since I haven't been a subject of yours for long, and my attitude toward you hasn't exactly been stellar. But it would make me happy._

_Your subject,_

_Emerald Elegy_

It only took an hour for her to reply.

_Emerald Elegy, Patron of the Musical Arts_

_I have taken into consideration, and have agreed that Twilight Sparkle does need a bodyguard. From this day forward, Blazing Shield will be Twilight Sparkle's personal guardian, and will need to live with her to ensure her safety, no matter what._

_And as for my student… well, I think it's about time she started playing the field, don't you? After all, she is about 20 years old, and in all my years, I don't remember her ever having a colt-friend._

_Princess Celestia_

I have to admit, that letter did make me laugh. But still, I couldn't help but feel a bit ashamed that I was actually trying to hook my friend up. After all, we were both humans once. Then again, we could be here for a very long time, so we might as well try to make a life for ourselves, right?

I shook my head. It was time for us to get a dragon out of our land.

XxXxX

Once all of us arrived at the mountain, I could see that Fluttershy was positively trembling. I just wanted to hold her against me and tell her that everything was alright, but even that would be a little creepy, even for a guy like me. Blaze had his wings hidden from view, but his own custom armor on, a dark red steel plating that covered most of his body. He had it made and delivered about three days ago, which is incredible.

"So, what's the plan?" I asked, standing next to Twilight, on the other side.

"Simple. We take the shortest route to the dragon, and get him to leave."

I felt my face drop at that. That was what she was planning? Then again, I knew the whole plan, but still, that was pretty… simple, for the smartest pony in the group. "Oh, well then, we should be back before lunchtime", I said dryly.

Only to feel a light sting on my flank, and realized that Blaze had sent an ember onto me, causing the light burn. "Hey!" I shouted, quickly using my own magic to get it off of me. "What the hay was that for?"

"One, you were making fun of Twilight", he said bluntly.

"Don't you think you're taking your job a bit too seriously?"

"Two… it was funny, seeing you jump like that", he said, a very sly grin on his face.

I rolled my eyes. Ever since he mastered his fire spells, he's been using them to occasionally scare me. It's really quite foal-ish of him. Hehe… I'm really picking up on the pony slang.

All of us began climbing the mountain, once all the last minute preparations were taken care. All of us, except for Fluttershy and myself.

"Come on, Fluttershy!" Twilight encouraged. "We need to get going!"

"B-but it's s-so… s-steep", she said, looking at the part of the mountain they were climbing on. I have to admit, even I think it should be a crime to be this cute. Rainbow Dash reminded her that she could fly, but as soon as she was a couple feet off the ground, a loud snore from the dragon frightened her and her wings closed, making her fall. Fortunately, I was fast enough to catch her, and smiled a bit at her.

"Nice of you to drop in", I joked playfully, lowering myself so she could stand. She was hiding her face behind her mane, and I think I saw a tiny bit of a blush on her cheeks, but I figured it was just a bit of her pink mane sticking next to her cheek. I looked back up at the rest of the group. "Don't worry about us", I said, pulling out my spare map. "I'm gonna take her around another path. We'll meet up with you. Blaze?"

"Eeyup?"

"Don't set anything on fire."

"I will not make any promises."

I chuckled, then turned to Fluttershy. "Come on, Fluttershy. Unless you want me to carry you the whole way, we need to get moving." I could tell she was still shaking from her most recent scare, and I gently nudged her so we could move along.

As we walked, I attempted to strike up a conversation with her. Unfortunately, that dragon let out another loud snore, causing her to freeze in the middle of the path with that terrified expression on her face. I quickly grabbed her and put her on my back, and kept walking. I have to admit, it was nice being with her, but I couldn't stand seeing her so scared. And what's worse is that every time she seemed to be calming down, the dragon would let out another loud snore, scaring her even more. I ended up carrying her in silence the whole way to Blaze and the rest of the gang.

The long trek up the mountain didn't go without interruptions. First, we came to a small gap in the path. Everypony else was easily able to hop over it, but Fluttershy needed some encouragement from Pinkie Pie, and even then, she looked down and freaked out at the last second, causing her to be stuck on both sides of the path. It only took a simple nudge to get her across, and the whole while, I was resisting an urge to go "D'AAAWWWWW!"

Then there was the avalanche. Thanks to a leaf landing unceremoniously on Fluttershy, she freaked out again, and inadvertently started a rock slide. I was the only one that managed to make it to the other side of the rocks before they all fell down and blocked the path. I sat down, waiting patiently for the rest of the gang to show up when I heard a squeak of surprise, and next thing I know, I feel Fluttershy landing on top of me and knocking me onto my back. I blushed bright red, but I couldn't resist as I smirked a bit. "We must stop meeting like this, Miss Fluttershy", I teased.

This time, she was obviously blushing, and this time she was a bit quicker to react as she scrambled off of me. "Oh my… I'm sorry, Emerald."

"It's nothing", I said, getting up as well. Blaze just smirked and made kissy faces to me behind Fluttershy's back, and I had to resist either laughing or walking over there and kicking him in the face. As we walked, he soon joined me. "Well, looks like you're getting a little cozy with Fluttershy", he teased.

I smirked back at him, nudging him. "What about you, Mr. Bodyguard?" I asked. "I've noticed how close you and Twilight have been this whole trip."

I was surprised to find out the black stallion could blush. "I-I'm just doing my job…" He then shook his head and managed to rid himself of the pink tinge on his cheeks. "Speaking of which, what're we gonna do? I mean, this is the dragon that Fluttershy intimidates…"

"If anything strays from the story, then we do what we can to help", I said, my happy smile gone. I hated it when the story strayed, but I had to admit, it did mean I was included, and so was Blaze, now. Even if he wasn't an Element of Harmony.

Finally we arrived at the cave, and Fluttershy, being reluctant to go in, revealed her fear of dragons. Despite the reassuring words that the others offered to her, I couldn't help but keep my mouth shut. I knew that nothing we could say would change her mind. I just gently nudged her as she passed me, giving her a caring smile. However, she didn't smile back, and I knew why. After all, I'd be a bit ashamed too if I felt like I let my friends down.

I have to admit, it was boring waiting for the different ponies to do what they planned. Twilight took a good few minutes attempting to reason with the dragon. Of course, it ended up with her getting a face full of smoke. Rarity was up next, and she attempted to butter him up and get him to leave the cave. However, she made the mistake of mentioning his stash of gems, and he didn't take too kindly to her offer of "watching over them" for him.

Pinkie Pie was literally in there for five seconds before she came out with her ridiculous outfit in shambles.

Finally, Rainbow Dash growled angrily. "That's it! We've tried reasoning, persuasion… whatever it was Pinkie was trying to do… it's time to take action!" And of course, with her brash nature, she decided to do the one thing she could

She flew into his snout and kicked him as hard as she could.

Now, I'm no genius, but when I look at a dragon that is easily a hundred times my size, I can't help but think, "If I try to attack it, it might not even feel it, or might get annoyed. That sounds like a very bad idea." I guess that kind of common sense didn't get to Rainbow Dash in time. Because immediately, the dragon snarled. That was to be expected. What was unexpected was the jet of flame it shot out. Fortunately, Rainbow Dash weaved out of the way, and Blaze managed to put up a shield at the last second.

"Now look at what you did, Dash!" I roared, standing in front of the group. My horn began glowing, but I didn't know what for. I didn't know any offensive magic, and if it attacked us, what could I possibly do?

All of a sudden, he slithered out of the cave, and eyed me with hatred. Apparently, see one pony, seen them all. Because instead of attacking Rainbow Dash, who was hiding behind Blaze's shield, he suddenly swung down with his tail, expecting to hit me right then and there. It all happened so fast that I did the one thing that came to mind, because there was no way I could dodge it at the speed he was moving.

"FUS RO DAH!"

All of a sudden, my voice became very loud and echoey. And what felt like a surge of energy left my body, as a wave of pure sound shot out of my mouth. Apparently, the dragon was not expecting this, and he stumbled back into the cave forced by my Shout.

Everyone just sat there, staring at me. And I couldn't blame them. I just knocked back a dragon with my _voice_. How often do you hear of things like that happening? I could feel the manic grin growing on my face.

"I like my new spell."

That was all I said, because the next thing I knew, I got hit very hard by a red claw.

XxXxX

"Blaze, will you stop poking him?"

"Why? He might be dead. This way, if he is, I won't actually have touched him."

"It's pretty obvious he's still alive. I mean, he is breathing."

"I can't believe that nut managed to push back that dragon with his _words_! I mean, have you ever heard of something like that? He's almost as awesome as me!"

"Ya'll better hush now. I think he's waking up."

I groaned as I slowly lifted my head, my sides and head aching. "Where's the minotaur that decided to tap dance on my head?"

"Minotaur? It wasn't a minotaur, silly colt! It was a dragon!" came the very bubbly voice of Pinkie Pie.

"Ugh… no wonder it feels so bad…" I opened my eyes, and realized I was in my theater. "H-How did I get here?"

"Fluttershy and Blaze carried you", Twilight said, looking at me. She then glared at her bodyguard. "And of course, the dolt decided to constantly poke you in the sides to make sure you weren't dead."

"Oh", I said, glaring at him. "So THAT'S why my sides hurt."

It was then I noticed that Rainbow Dash and Applejack were also watching over me, which surprised me. "Um… why are Applejack and Rainbow Dash here?"

It was then the cyan pegasus got in my face, surprising me. "Just wanted to say that the way you stood up to that dragon was _so awesome_!" she said, smiling manically. "You _gotta _teach me how to do that!"

I felt myself blush a bit, then smirked at Rainbow Dash. "Well, one, it's awesome that you think that was so cool, and it's amazing that you also want me to teach you. I'm sure you've never done that before." At the flustered and sheepish expressions she got on her face next, I'm assuming that I was right. "Second… I don't think I can. Even I don't know how I did that."

"Aw… lame", she said. "Well, I'm gonna go get Fluttershy. I think she's waiting to hear if you woke up in the lobby." With a rainbow streak, she was gone, and only Applejack, Twilight, and Blaze remained.

"Have to say, that was mighty brave of ya, Emerald", Applejack said. "I mean, it didn't even look like you knew what you were doing. That was harebrained, half-baked, and pretty foalish, but you mighta saved our lives." I couldn't tell if she was mad or happy with me, since she seemed to be praising me and scolding me at the same time.

"Um… your welcome and I won't do it again?" I said nervously, and attempted to climb out of bed. But that was when a yellow and pink blob suddenly pinned me back down on the bed. And just like that, I felt my chest starting to get wet as Fluttershy began crying on me. She seemed to be trying to say something, but I couldn't make it out, since she was sobbing too hard. I just placed my hoof on her head and gently trailed it along her mane.

Blaze seemed to decide we needed some alone time, because he began to prod the two remaining ponies in the side with his elbow, motioning to the door. They quickly got the idea, and followed after him as he left us alone, closing the door behind them for my sake. I mentally thanked him, since I'm sure that if Rainbow saw Fluttershy crying on me, she'd think I probably offended her somehow.

It seemed like forever since she began crying, but surprisingly, she was already starting to control herself again. I looked down at her, moving my head so I could look her in the eyes - or at least, partially, since her mane did a good job of hiding her face. "Don't worry about me", I said, smiling at her. "It'll take more than a dragon's claw to take me out."

She sniffed a bit, but at least she began to smile again, even if it was a tiny one. "W-Why did y-y-you d-do it?" she asked me, stuttering from either her usual nervous self, or her tears.

"My friends are important to me", I told her, smiling. "Right now, I don't really have anyone; my family's so far away, all of my old friends have abandoned me… you guys are all I have left."

She sniffed again, and nuzzled me tenderly. I had to resist both the urge to blush, and the sudden wing-boner I was feeling coming. Good thing my wing-hiding spell didn't have to be focused on all the time. "P-promise me y-y-you won't do anything so f-foalish again", she told me. Then she squeaked, and hid her face from me even more. "Th-that is, if you don't mind…"

I chuckled at her, and lightly ran my hoof through her mane again. "I promise. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." And with that silly phrase gone, I gently placed my hoof over my eye, sealing the deal. "Now… Fluttershy, I'm still feeling a little out of it… would you mind just letting me rest for now?"

She nodded, and got off of me. "I'll be back tomorrow to make sure you're okay… if you don't mind."

"Now, Miss Fluttershy, when have I ever said I minded?"

She gave me a shy smile, and nodded before she began to leave the room. All that I saw before I finally succumbed and fell back to dreamless sleep were those three pink butterflies that represented her cutie mark


	9. Bridle Gossip

Turns out I bruised my ribs in my accident. So, even if I wasn't bed ridden, I had been told not to leave the Lunar Theater in two weeks. Which most likely meant for me not meeting Zecora. Which was fine; I can introduce myself to her later. I didn't like that idea, though; I was never a fan of judging before you know the facts. After all, I was the kid that was always picked last, always on the sidelines. And don't give me any crap about trying, because I tried. God knows I tried.

Anyway, I was finishing up the Nightmare Before Christmas when all of a sudden I heard the door open. I rolled my eyes, guessing that today the zebra was visiting. I winced as I stepped out of my room, walking past the stage. Because of the size and emptiness of the theater, I could hear the echoing of the few pony voices I didn't recognize. After using my magic to open the theater doors, I soon spotted my uninvited guests. It took me a moment, but eventually my brain finally came up with three names; Lyra, Vinyl Scratch, and Octavia. I slowly grinned. This seemed just perfect for me! I needed music for the auditions, and these three would be perfect for the orchestra! I soon coughed, causing them to jump. "Excuse me, ladies", I said, smirking. "But what are you doing in my theater?"

"W-W-We were hiding from… her!" Lyra managed to stutter out. Octavia, however, squinted her eyes a bit, as if focusing on my face.

"Wait a moment… I know you. You're Emerald Elegy, aren't you?"

"Yep", I replied, smiling. "And I know you three, as well. Lyra, Octavia, and Vinyl Scratch, right?"

"Yeah… how do you know so much about us?" Vinyl asked, looking at me suspiciously with her red eyes.

"A fellow showpony must keep up with the times", I said. "And the time has come for me to ask you three for a favor." I held up my hoof, keeping Lyra from asking. "I have been editing a script for my theater, hoping to have it be the very first show performed here. And before I can start with auditions, I'll need excellent ponies to be a part of the orchestra, and perform the music for this. I was hoping that maybe you three could-"

"What's the name of the play?" Octavia asked, interrupting my rambling. I felt my cheeks warm up a bit, realizing my blunder.

"Of course, my apologies." I quickly teleported to my room, grabbing the script, and teleported back. "It's a play from a strange land, beyond the Everfree Forest. They don't have holidays like ours, and this play is based on two specifically, called Halloween and Christmas, which is like our Nightmare Night and Hearths Warming respectively. It's called 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'."

"Sounds rad", Vinyl said, smiling. "Does it have a lot of bass in the songs?"

"Unfortunately, no", I replied, watching her smile drop. "However, it does have plenty of songs, which we can re-edit to include your talents more." That definitely perked her up. I handed them all different songs to work on. "Here; practice with these three songs, and come back so you can hear the words with the music." I limped to the door opening it and checking outside. "It looks like Zecora is gone. It's safe for you to go home."

Lyra left first, with her song levitating next to her. "This looks really good! I can't wait to practice it!" Octavia left next, studying her music intently, and finally, after a moment of scanning it over, Vinyl took hers as well. I sighed as I closed the door with my magic, hoping that they would return within the week. After all, I needed the talent and the money. I was currently on funds from Mayor Mare, but they wouldn't last forever.

I needed this more than anything else in all of Equestria.

XxXxX

The entire day was uneventful. No doubt, everypony else was busy with Zecora and Applebloom. But the next day, well, I got a very surprising wake up call.

"BRAWK! Emerald, wake up!"

"Meh… Blaze, go away!"

"WAKE UP!" All of a sudden, I felt a sharp pain in my back, and instantly woke up, yelping as I fell out of my bed.

"Ow…" I mumbled, rubbing my head. "What the hell, dude?" I cried indignantly… only to look around, not seeing my friend. Did he learn how to turn invisible or something? I heard a squawk and quickly turned, facing my bed, and immediately began laughing.

On my bed was a black parrot. The tips of his wings, his tail, and his crest were bright red, and his original eye color remained the same, giving me a death glare that would have disintegrated me if he had the ability to kill me with his eyes. Now, here's where I explain why I'm laughing. It isn't the fact that my best friend got turned into another animal.

It's because he got turned into a parrot, or a bird, his most hated animal.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up", Blaze commented, flapping his wings and landing next to my left fore leg. "Now, would you mind helping me and the rest of the group - BWARK! STOP LAUGHING, YOU PLOT HOLE!" The moment he started squawking again, I couldn't help but laugh at his expense even more, but I managed to get it under control after a moment. After shooting him an apologetic look, he nodded, and landed on my back, his talons lightly poking into my back. So that's what he used to wake me up… "As I was saying, you mind helping me and the girls with a little problem?"

"You met Zecora yesterday, didn't you?"

"How could you tell?" he said bluntly, flapping his wings a bit. "I tried to convince them all it wasn't a curse, but, you know how they get at this point."

"Yeah… you know what? I think instead of chasing after them, we should get to work on getting the herbs for the brew", I said. "Let them take care of their part on their own for once."

"Tough love?"

"Tough love. Now, let's go and get that book from the library…"

XxXxX

After a little while, we discovered that all the herbs that we needed grew right on the edge of the Everfree Forest, close to Ponyville. That's why she visited so often; she needed these herbs for various brews and potions. I guess that makes sense. After all, she did explain herself in the show.

It didn't take much longer to find Zecora's place, either. Thanks to Dash's upside-down wings, there was a clear trail. We arrived just in time.

"… But whenever Zecora comes to town, all of the shops are mysteriously closed." Applebloom's tiny little voice drifted out the door, and I looked back at my birdy companion, smirking.

"Someone need's some herbs?" I called out, smiling as I entered. Then I looked at the entire group, and couldn't help but snicker a bit. "Wow… you guys look funnier than I thought."

"Emerald? What're you doing out of your theater?" Twilight asked, looking surprised. "I thought the doctor told you to rest for one more day?"

"Well, I would, but I heard my friends needed help, and couldn't resist." I walked over, letting Blaze fly back over to Twilight. I had the herbs in my own saddlebags, which I levitated over to Zecora. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Zecora. And these should be the herbs you need, fresh from Ponyville."

"Oh, this is quite a surprise! Pony with kindness, not fear in his eyes!" she rhymed, smiling at me. "Thank you, for these herbs few. They're just what I need for my special brew."

"Think nothing of it", I said, smiling. "Just doing what a friend would do." I looked over at the rest of the group. "When Blaze woke me up, I knew exactly what to do. This had Poison Joke all over it."

"Buh? How did you know it was Poison Joke?" Rarity said, obviously flustered by her hair. "I've never even heard of the plant until today!"

"Simple; I've touched it before." I chuckled a bit sheepishly, as I quickly thought up my next lie. "Last time, I turned pink. I didn't turn back to normal until we finally found the book Super Naturals. That week of school was torture…"

Blaze chuckled a bit, but quickly stopped as he was given a slight glare by Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Twilight.

"Anyway, I don't think we have time to wait for another pot of brew to be made here", I said, looking at the large cauldron. "You'd need a lot of water and time to heat it up… so, we need a substitute."

At that Rarity beamed. Or at least I think she did. Her hair made it very hard to tell. "I know the perfect place!"

XxXxX

After bringing the mane six and Blaze to the spa, I excused myself, since I was the only one that wasn't affected by Poison Joke. Although it was funny, seeing Blaze try to run in first. "CURE ME! CURE ME! I DON'T WANNA BE A BIIIIIIIIRRRD!"

I made the slow trek back to my home, waving hello to the few ponies that were outside. I was tired from the journey today; despite my willingness, I was still recovering from my injuries, after all.

Of course, I sped up a bit when I noticed that the theater doors were open, and could hear the music from the lobby. Once I opened the door, I could see Octavia. And I couldn't help but sit there in shock.

Her eyes were closed, focusing on her music. She had found the spotlight switches, and had turned on only two of them. One of them was shining straight down on her, accenting her dark mane and her beautiful cello. The other was on a blank spot next to her, obviously meant for another. And I recognized the music instantly. As she played, I slowly entered the second spotlight, and waited silently, until the second verse of Phantom of the Opera played. Then I sang alongside her, closing my own eyes. I let the music echo all around us for the entire verse, letting the somber, haunting melody reverberate through our bodies, before she decided to cut it off.

"That was beautiful", I commented, smiling at her. "I didn't think that anypony around here knew Phantom of the Opera."

"I enjoy the opera very much", Octavia told me. She had a sad smile on her face. "It's been a long time since I've seen one, though… and I've always wanted to perform for one."

Poor girl. She must miss her home in Canterlot. "I'm sure you'll get your chance one day", I said, giving her a reassuring smile which she returned. "Now come on. I'm assuming that since you're here, you've decided to accept my offer."

"Indeed I have. Now, why don't you tell me more about this 'Halloween'? I'd like to know more about why this holiday is so important.


	10. Learning to Fly: Luna's Lesson

Should one of you assume that all I will write about is my own adventures in the episodes of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, well, you'd be making an ass out of you and me. Hey, some things have to happen to me too, right? I mean, after all, I'm a part of the story now. So, if this was part of the show, there would be episodes of me. If there weren't, then this wouldn't be a good story, because I'd never get any screen time for me, and I'm an important part of the cast. Along with Blaze.

That makes sense, right?

Anyway, today, I was in my theater (as usual), working on my own projects. I had finally finished the script, and needed to get the posters out for the auditions. The only problem? To get half of them seen, I needed to put them in spots that would be seen by pegasi.

In short, I either needed to get Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to help me… or I needed to learn how to fly. Which I can't do without revealing my dragon-like wings.

"Man, this stinks", I said, letting my spell fall and showing my big wings. "I hate that I have to keep hiding this stuff. I mean…" I looked in my mirror. "… well, look at me. I'm an alicorn. A freaking alicorn!" I groaned. "Not only do I stick out like a sore thumb, but I'm supposed to be like… royalty or something. If my friends ever found out… besides Twilight… I don't think they'd ever trust me again."

Suddenly the bell rang, and I quickly set up my spell once more, just in case. "Who could that be? I'm not expecting any company…" I cautiously walked from my dressing room, through my auditorium, and finally, opened the door. "Hello?"

"Sir Elegy?" a gruff voice asked, and only when I got a better look at him did I realize who was at my door. A pegasus with dark blue armor was waiting for me to open the door fully, his face showing that he was all business. I reluctantly opened the door and nodded. "Princess Luna requests your presence." He stepped aside, revealing a dark chariot, pulled by more pegasi much like the first. Normally, I would have asked why Luna was asking for me. I would have questioned the orders of the guard. But, in this case, I decided to hold my tongue. After all, I actually liked Luna. Plus, she might have found a way for me and Brad to go home.

Strange… that last thought made me feel… sad. I haven't felt that way in a long time. It was bittersweet; I was glad I could feel that way, but sad… at the prospect of leaving. Was I really that affected by Equestria, by my friends?

Anyway, I nodded to the guard, and followed him to the chariot. Once on board, the other guards began flying, taking us away from Ponyville. I had to admit, I was a little afraid, since there were no harnesses or safety belts for me to fasten. But afterwards, I looked around, and was awed by how beautiful everything looked in the moon and star's light. I could see Sweet Apple Acres from here, and the clock tower. I felt… at peace, here in the air. Even if it wasn't my own doing, it was nice to be so high. Is this what Rainbow Dash feels when she flies?

It feels as though barely any time passes at all when suddenly we begin our descent, and I can see that we are arriving at Canterlot, or more specifically, Celestia and Luna's castle. I scowl a bit; I still haven't forgiven Celestia for what she did to me and my friend. But I shake that anger away. Soon, Luna will find the spell, and we can go home. Again, that thought makes my heart hurt. Which I don't understand; that is what I want more than anything else in the world.

"Sir Elegy?" I hear, snapping me out of my thoughts. I turned to the guard who spoke to me before. "Please follow me." With that he lead me through the castle. All of the twists and turns that we took… I couldn't keep track of it all, and if it weren't for the fact that we were going up many flights of stairs, I would have sworn we were going in circles. Finally, he stopped me in front of a room with a silver moon inscribed into the door. "Here we are, sir."

"Thank you, and please, just call me Emerald", I said, watching as he left me in front of the door. I hesitated for a moment, then raised my hoof and knocked on the door three times.

"ENTER", came the booming voice of Luna. I rolled my eyes, before reaching for the knob with my magic. I seriously had to do something about how she spoke. "Ah, Emerald Elegy. We are most pleased to see thou."

"Please", I said, bowing, "just call me Emerald, Princess."

She gave me a small smile, and responded, "Only if thou promise only to call us Luna."

I chuckled, and nodded, before I finished my bow, standing up and facing her. "So, if I may…"

"Thou may."

"Thank you. Why did you ask me to arrive? Did you find the spell that will bring me and my friend home?"

At that, she frowned. "We are afraid we have some bad news about that…"

At that, I could feel my ears flatten against my head. "Let me guess… it has something to do with that you can't seem to find anything like it?"

"No, we're afraid we can not." Luna sighed. "It is as though Celestia made this spell especially for thou and thine companion. There are no records of ever a spell existing."

"And without that… we're pretty much stuck here", I finished, lowering my head.

"Unless we were able to convince our sister to changer her mind, then yes, thou art trapped here."

I sighed, and looked back at the moon princess. "Thank you anyway, Luna." I then thought a bit more, then looked at her. "That's not the only reason you requested my presence, is it? I mean, if I were you, I would have just sent a letter to explain that."

"Thou art correct, Emerald", she said, smiling. "We were hoping that perhaps thou wouldst like to… what is the phrase… 'hang out'?"

I chuckled, and nodded. "Alright… that would be great. What should we do first?"

Luna stretched her wings open, flapping them lightly. "Perhaps we can go for a short flight. Thou must see Equestria at night; it is most breathtaking."

I frowned at that, and let my wings appear. "Um… about that, Luna… I kind of… don't know how to fly."

"What?" she gasped, flying over to me. "But surely thou hath been taught by the Element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash?"

I shied away from her at that, closing my eyes and sighing. "I… haven't told anyone about being an Alicorn… neither has Blaze. I mean… besides Twilight, no one knows about me."

Of course, Luna frowned. "Thou must be honest with them."

"I know, I know… but still… keeping something like this a secret from them? And the fact that my wings don't even have feathers is even freakier…. if I told them the truth now, they'd never trust me again."

Luna sighed, and walked over, gently wrapping a wing around me, causing me to blush a bit. I knew it was a form of comfort between close ponies. "Harken, Emerald Elegy. Thou art a most humble pony, and deserves none but the best treatment. And thou hast made fine friends with the other Elements. If anypony may understand thine plight, then it surely would be them."

I thought it over. Would they really be so willing to listen to me? Would they trust me? What more should I tell them? That I'm not even a pony, but a creature that lives in a different dimension? I couldn't say anything about Celestia dragging me here, or they'd no doubt call me an instant liar. They believed in her, and she had never lied to them.

"You're right", I finally said, walking out of her wings and going to the window. "You're absolutely right… in the short amount of time that I've been here, I made friends… faster than I've ever made friends back on Earth. And it feels like… they genuinely care for me."

"So… what shall thou do?"

"I'll tell them the truth… or, at least, as much as I can divulge, like being an alicorn and not actually having a home in Equestria before, but I don't think mentioning that I'm a human from another dimension will end well." I then looked over at Luna, giving her a gentle smile. "But… that can wait until tomorrow. Right now, you and I need to hang out."

She looked at me, surprised, but soon returned a grateful smile. "Alright, Emerald… what shall we do first?"

"Well, I don't know about you… but I'd love to learn how to fly."

"As thou wish." She opened the door, beginning to lead the way downstairs. At first I was gonna ask why not the balcony, but then it hit me; if I fall, it'll give me enough time to say goodbye to everyone before I hit the ground.

"You know, we're going to have to do something about your speech pattern…"

"What's wrong with how we speak? Thine own words are confusing."

"And therein lies the problem."

XxXxX

"Okay, let us try again, Emerald", Luna said, sighing a bit exasperatedly. "Start flapping your wings up and down."

I would love to say that I was a natural at flying. I would love to say that I could easily fly as fast as Rainbow Dash. As Fluttershy, even. Sadly all of those statements would be false. I sucked at it. My wings weren't as easily used as I thought they would be. Right now, I was working on hovering for as long as possible, hopefully to build up my wing muscles, or at least help me get used to using them more often. Turns out keeping them pressed against my sides had them cramped up, and my first attempt ended with my landing flat on my back. As well as my other 15 attempts.

But as I kept trying, there was a nagging feeling in the back of my head. I felt like I had done something like this before. Or at least seen it. Birds and bats flew forward by rotating their wings in a circular motion, right? So in order to slow down, they flapped their wings from the back forward. I finally thought of it, and crouched down.

"What are you doing?" Luna asked, her speech pattern already changing. While I was busy failing miserably at flying, I also helped her with learning how to talk like those that weren't from a thousand years ago. She learned to use I instead of We, and using you instead of thou. It was easier for her, because she was a princess. And it wasn't messing with her muscles or anything.

"Trying something", I said, before pushing off the ground with my front hooves first, shortly followed by my back. Then, once I reached the peak of my jump, closing my eyes, I quickly began flapping my wings, slowing my descent. My back muscles began aching, since I had been doing this for an hour straight, but I didn't feel the ground under my hooves. I slowly opened one eye, and noticed that I was hovering a couple feet off of the ground. My wings were flapping more to the ground than anything, while I was leaning back a bit, so my hind legs were closer to the ground than my front. I could feel my elation rising, but I knew better than to let it get out of hand. I slowed my flapping, and in a couple seconds, I began descending to the ground, gently touching down with my back legs before I finally stopped flapping, letting gravity bring me back to all fours.

Luna galloped over to my, giving me a hug. "You did it! You did it!" she squealed, almost at Royal Voice level. But then, as she noticed what she was doing, she quickly let go, a rosy blush on her cheeks. "W-We are so sorry… we j-just got excited.."

I chuckled, and sat down. "Never had anyone to teach before, have you?"

"No… _I _haven't", she said, realizing that she had slipped back into her old speaking patterns. I guess that happens when she got too excited. "Nopony was ever awake at night, so I never got the chance to take anyone under my wing. Celestia, on the other hand…"

"Don't mention her", I said, growling a bit as I covered my ears. "I still haven't forgiven her for what she did to me and Brad."

"I understand", Luna said, "but maybe you should try to gain her trust? Find a way to convince her that you belong back where you are from originally? Because when Celestia makes up her mind, you have to make a good argument to change it."

I sighed. "Maybe… but I think I need time to cool off."

Luna nodded. Then she looked to the left, where a chariot was waiting for me. "It's late. Perhaps you should head home."

I nodded, yawning before I could protest that I need to practice more flying. I then slowly walked over to the chariot, my eyes already drooping. "Thank you for having me, Princess", I said sleepily. "I had a lot of fun… despite the many failed attempts at flying. Maybe… we can hang out again next week?"

I don't remember what her reaction was, although I could have sworn I heard, "I'd like that."

The next thing I remember is the scent of rain as I opened my eyes and realized I was in my room. Was… it all a dream?

"Nice to see you wake up."

I turned, and spotted Rainbow Dash standing nearby. "Hey there", I said, yawning and stretching a bit. "What're you doing in my room?"

"Well, I'd like to answer that with a question of my own", she countered, flapping her wings and soon hovering over my bed. "Why do you have wings?"

I froze, and looked at my sides quickly. Sure enough, there were my wings, plain as day, for all to see. I gulped, and slowly looked back at Rainbow, and immediately realized that she was not happy. She had her fore legs crossed, watching me with an expecting glare. I sighed, and stretched my wings out. "Go and get the girls and Blaze. I'm not gonna explain myself a million times."

"And give you the chance to run away?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't think so."

"Rainbow Dash, I give you my word that I will not run away."

"How can I believe you?"

"Well, you're Equestria's fastest flier, and I'm pretty sure that I can't run faster than you."

That definitely got her to think about it. "… Fine. I'll go get the girls. You promise that you'll still be here when we get back?"

"I promise", I responded, getting out of bed. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye", I said, finishing the phrase by covering my left eye with my hoof.

She seemed to accept it, albeit reluctantly, and soon sped out of my window, heading for Twilight's library. I sighed and looked to my wings. "You just had to get me in trouble, didn't you?" I mutter.

I can only hope my explanation runs well with the others..


	11. Learning to Fly: The Truth, Take 2

It took about ten minutes, but when the girls and Blaze arrived, I was waiting for them on the stage, my wings hidden once more. Rainbow shot me a look, but I held up a hoof, shushing her. "Thank you for coming, girls. Please, take a seat, and all will be explained."

"W-What's going on, Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy asked, sitting down next to her pegasus friend.

"Emerald Elegy is a big liar, that's what!" the cyan pony exclaimed, flying up and pointing at me dramatically. "He's not a unicorn at all!"

I glared, and cast a spell, dragging her into her seat with magic by grabbing her tail. But the damage was already done, and everypony was now looking at me oddly. "Rainbow, I think yer full of pony feathers", remarked Applejack. "Emerald's never done anything to misplace our trust."

"Indeed, darling. He's been nothing but a gentle-stallion, and you accuse him of something like this?" Rarity asked, shooting a glare at Wonderbolts' biggest fan.

"Actually… she's telling the truth", I interrupted, sitting down on the stage. "Blaze, if you will join me?"

Twilight looked over at Blaze, nodding in understanding, although with a bit of sadness on her face. Blaze nodded back, before walking onto the stage with me. "Now, if you young ladies will be quiet for a minute… I will explain everything." After pausing so that I could make sure I had their attention, I continued. "Now, as our friend Rainbow Dash has pointed out… I am not a unicorn." With a flash, my wings appeared once more, spreading out. "I am an alicorn."

The girls gasped, staring at my wings in awe… and was that a twinge of fear I saw in their eyes? I frowned, but I didn't stop. "I'm not from Manehatten, or Fillydelphia, or any other place here on Equestria." I then sighed, folding my wings again. "I'm from a place… very far away. So far… that I can't go back without help. And I was stranded here. With no way back, or any connection to my old home. Or at least… until Blaze found me."

Blaze nodded, and unfolded his wings, revealing them as well. I decided to finish my little story. "With no way to get back to our old home… we've decided to adapt and join in with regular life. And it took about five seconds to realize that there is no way we could fit in with our wings and our horns… so we reluctantly decided to hide our wings, so that we could fit in."

"Why your wings?" asked Applejack. "Why didn't ya hide your horns instead?"

"And give up my special talent?" Blaze countered, letting a tiny ember form at the tip of his horn. "I wouldn't be able to live if I couldn't at least make fire."

"And let's face it; a pegasi with dragon wings isn't commonly heard of", I remarked. "Besides, I have no use for them; I was never taught how to fly."

At that, Rainbow Dash shot up, glaring at me. "That's it. You. With me. Now." Before I could react, she grabbed me, and dragged me out of the theater, heading for the outskirts of town. Not that I could tell until we stopped; we were moving so fast that I couldn't see anything but blurs. I could tell that we made a couple of ponies either very dizzy or put them in a mess, since I heard brief yelps before their voices were taken by the wind. Next thing I knew, we were in a grassy part of the country, or more specifically, the spot where she taught Fluttershy how to cheer (and failed miserably).

I shook my head, getting rid of the feeling of moving so fast, and looked at the pegasus, who had her back turned to me. "Rainbow, what was that about? You shouldn't just grab some pony in the middle of a lecture."

"Quiet", she said, not turning to face me. I raised an eyebrow, but I obeyed, sitting down and waiting for her to explain herself. "First you hide your wings… then you tell me you don't even know how to fly… and you're so far from home, that you can't even get back…" She finally turned, and I was surprised to see sadness in her eyes. "Why didn't you come to me, Emerald?" That was the first time she ever used my name. "I could have taught you how to fly, or kept your secret, or something!"

To say I was confused would be an understatement. "Why?" I asked, looking at her. "I lied to you, about who I was, what I was… you still trust me?"

Rainbow chuckled a bit, and hit my shoulder lightly. "I'm the Element of Loyalty. And you were just trying to fit in without bothering anyone. It'll take more than that to get rid of me, you big lug."

I gave a friendly smile, relieved that she wasn't angry at me. Not only would it mean that I'd be likely to lose her as a friend that way, but she could also take me down. She is, after all, one of the stronger ponies here in Ponyville. "Well, next time I'll have to try a little harder", I teased, flapping my wings a bit. "So… do you think you have it in you to teach this pathetic excuse of an alicorn how to fly?"

"You kidding me? I'm sure there are plenty more pegasi that would be willing to teach even more pathetic excuses to fly", she teased back, smiling. "You'll be doing loops in the air in no time. Now, show me what you can do."

I nodded, and immediately thought about what I knew. I jumped into the air, flapping my wings like I had figured out, and began hovering in the air. "I haven't exactly figured out how to move around yet", I said, keeping in my spot for a minute before lowering myself back to the ground.

"Alright, cool", Rainbow said, walking around me. "So, you've already taken care of step one; the take off. Now we just gotta work on moving around in the air." She then flapped her wings proudly. "Lucky for you, you have the best flier in Equestria as your teacher."

I couldn't help but chuckled, and nudge her side with my wing. "Didn't you drop out of flight class?"

For a moment, she had the modesty to look a bit embarrassed, before she puffed up her chest. "That just proves that I'm awesome; I'm self taught." I rolled my eyes, but I decided to let it drop, as she began to explain. "By the looks of it, you seem to have the wing rotation down for hovering. Think you can figure out the rotation for moving forward?"

I nodded, and moved my wings slowly. "It's like birds or bats. They rotate their wings forward, to keep up their forward momentum by pushing the air backwards. Same goes for pegasi."

"Exactly. Maybe in a day or two we can work on flying forward while already in the air, but for now, I want you to try taking off while running."

I nodded, and stepped back a bit. I closed my eyes, and suddenly, I knew exactly what to do. There's that little memory trick again, teaching me what I needed to do. Was this another gift from Celestia? I shrug the thought off, and start galloping as fast as I can down the field, unfolding my wings. I began to flap them in circles, bringing them up and forward in one second, then pushing the air back and down the next. Slowly, they moved faster and faster, and before long, I jumped, taking off into the air. At first, I flailed a bit, realizing that my circles were just a bit too big, and started flapping in smaller formations. Just like that, I was speeding around, a couple feet away from the ground as I actually flew. I began laughing, and started flapping harder, rising up from the ground.

"That's what I'm talking about!" I heard Rainbow shout out, and next thing I know, she's flying right next to me, smiling. "Great job! You sure you never had lessons?"

"Positive… although I admit, I had a little help learning how to hover."

"Oh really?" came Blaze's voice, and soon I could see him, flying next to me on the other side. When did he find the time to learn to fly? "And who, pray tell, was that teacher?"

"The same pony who's trying to get us home", I said, smirking as I folded my wings and dived. Now I could look down and see that the rest of the gang was waiting for us, concern in their eyes. I guess that Dash suddenly dragging me out of the theater was a big warning sign to them. I flared my wings a good distance away from them, slowing my descent and keeping the girls safe before I landed a little bit away from them. I then trotted over, before they all rushed me.

"Are you alright? Rainbow didn't do anything brash, did she?" Rarity asked first, looking to see any bruises or something on me.

"Everything's fine", I told her. "I didn't get hit or anything."

"Then why did she just rush off with ya faster than a pig when it spots a mud hole?" Applejack asked, and I couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

"She just wanted to give me a flying lesson", I told them. "You know she's not good with emotional stuff, remember?"

Fluttershy was quiet the whole time, I noticed. I then looked at her, brushing her mane away so I could look into both eyes. "Is something wrong?"

Fluttershy looked at me, then back down at the ground. "I… I could have… taught you to fly… if you wanted to…" She took a deep breath, and suddenly looked me in the eye. "Why didn't you tell us that you were an alicorn? I would… I mean… we would have accepted you, no matter what."

I thought about it, and looked down, ashamed. "I… I was afraid that you wouldn't accept me… accept us", I added, seeing Blaze and Rainbow join us on the ground. "I mean… alicorns are royalty here. I didn't want you guys treating me differently because I was different than you."

"Me neither", added Blaze. "I mean, I did want to tell you guys about our secret… but Emerald's more sensitive than I am. I'd be able to handle it if you guys started treating us differently, but he wouldn't."

"Then I'm even more surprised that you two came to me with your secret", Twilight said, causing everyone to look at her. She ignored the girls, though, and walked forward. "I think this would make a great letter to Princess Celestia, don't you?"

Inwardly I groaned, but I held my tongue. "Yeah… it would." I thought about this. Would Celestia be more trusting of me if I sent more letters? Maybe it would help me get home faster? I mulled it over for a second, before looking at Twilight again. "Do you mind… if maybe I write this one? I mean… if it's alright with you."

She looked surprised, then brought a hoof to her chin in pondering. "I don't know… I usually write the reports…" She then smiled and finished, "..but maybe I can make an exception this time."

I smiled, then looked to Fluttershy. "Of course… I would like to maybe take a flight around Ponyville… would you like to join me, Miss Fluttershy?"

She blushed as I called her "Miss", but she soon smiled. "I would like that very much, Mister Elegy." She opened her wings. "As long as you don't mind me being such a slow flier."

"I'm not exactly designed for speed myself", I said, chuckling, beginning to hover. After she began flapping her wings and joined me, we both began to move back to Ponyville, in perfect unison. I heard someone snort a bit, but I couldn't tell who, because when I looked behind us, everyone was waving bye. Blaze seemed to whisper something to Twilight, who giggled a bit, but I decided to ignore him, and turned my attention back to the yellow pegasus next to me.

I could get used to flying like this.

XxXxX

_Dear Princess Celestia,_

_I can't believe I'm writing this, but I have my own report on friendship today. Today, Blaze and I learned that true friends will accept you, no matter if you have wings, a horn, stripes, or all three._

_When you keep something secret, it means that you don't trust your friends enough. Sometimes, to prove to yourself that your friends are the best ones you can make, you need to be willing to share the secrets you hold. Otherwise, it could end up driving your friends farther apart than if they know._

_On a separate note, don't worry about them knowing what you've done to me. They are terrific ponies; they don't deserve the trouble that will cause them. I've only decided to mention that I'm far from my home, and reveal my status as an Alicorn._

_Now, I'll make sure Twilight doesn't read this. But I'll have to cut this short; I think Pinkie Pie is throwing me and Blaze a party for telling the truth about ourselves._

_Your humble subject,_

_Emerald Elegy_


	12. Author's Note

**Hey, everyone. I come bearing bad news. I have seen the My Little Pony movie that they made, the one called Equestria Girls.**

**And now I want to redo this story.**

**Don't worry, I will keep this up, for whoever wishes to continue reading it. But, as of now, this story will be discontinued, and redone.**

**Again, sorry for the inconvenience. I will work on the first chapter immediately.**


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